


ABCs And 123s

by PoshBiscuit



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chansaw, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Rival Relationship, Rivalry, Slow Burn, Teacher AU, mcduke - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 60,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22310017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoshBiscuit/pseuds/PoshBiscuit
Summary: Veronica Sawyer is a teacher at Westerberg High School and has been for a while. One day, the new maths teacher Heather Chandler arrives, and Veronica finds her life at Westerberg increasingly difficult.Chandler and Veronica take an immediate dislike to one another but for some reason, they keep being brought together.Will they be able to stop bickering long enough to get anything done? And what happens when Veronica begins to realise Chandler isn't as bad as she thought?A Chansaw Teacher AU
Relationships: Heather Chandler & Veronica Sawyer, Heather Chandler/Veronica Sawyer, Heather Duke/Heather McNamara
Comments: 241
Kudos: 581





	1. Heather makes an entrance

**Author's Note:**

> Quick Disclaimer:
> 
> This is of course set in an American High School, however I am from the UK so schools are a little bit different here. Some of the stuff I mention are to do with schools in the UK (the lessons especially) but don't worry it's not really crucial to the plot. 
> 
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica meets the new teacher at Westerberg High

Veronica loved English with a passion, but God it could be boring. Half of these things she was just pulling out of her ass, such as: "the blue curtains represented the loneliness and depression deep in his heart". 

No, the curtains were just fucking blue.

Also, hidden meanings could make a story a lot less realistic. I mean, in real life, do you buy blue curtains because they symbolise your internal depression? No, you buy them because they match the carpet. 

In short, it's a load of bullshit. 

For some reason, there just _had_ to be some sort of hidden meaning in every single word. Veronica felt deep sympathy for her students, having actual exams on this crap must be hell.

On the other hand, English could be so interesting. Some words actually _did_ have a hidden meaning and when you find that hidden meaning, it can change your whole perspective on things. For example, your initial reaction to a man having a red sweater could be that he just simply has a red sweater. However, as you progress further, you realise the red was foreshadowing for the fact that he was going to be shot in the chest a few chapters later and the blood staining the shirt he wore was symbolised by the red of the sweater. Of course, like the blue curtains, he could simply just be wearing a red sweater because he likes the look of it.

Veronica liked to think it was the same with people, you can have an opinion on them, but you should look for that hidden meaning, what's underneath, find out who they truly are. Words and people are exactly the same, you shouldn't take them at face value. Learn them, study them, _u_ _nderstand_ them.

If you just read a word and think _that's it_ , you won't get the full experience of a book or text. If you see a person and think _t_ _hat's it_ , you won't get the full experience of that person.

"Don't judge a book by its cover" and all that.

Unfortunately, she'd had many ideas like this, and voicing them to other people was the reason why instead of partying and having fun, she spent her Saturday nights marking and writing. Being an English teacher certainly wasn't the coolest thing in the world, but she greatly enjoyed it nonetheless.

Letting out a loud sigh, Veronica gathered her books, deciding that the lesson plan was finished and it was time to go home. The bright September sun blazed through the sky and shone into the room, turning the stark bare walls from their usual pearly white to a bright shade of amber. It was gorgeous. Veronica made a mental note to possibly have the walls painted that colour permanently. It would certainly be better than the usual white which made the room seem like some kind of mental asylum. As if the school could be any less bearable, they went and chose _white_ as the wall colour. No wonder students became depressed. The poor things had to deal with a shit ton of work and then not even have nicely painted walls.

Once she was satisfied that the place was remotely tidy, she exited her classroom. God being a teacher was difficult, especially an English teacher. It's the most important skill the students will learn in their life (fuck off, Maths) and on top of that, the new curriculum was such bullshit, it literally had a stench coming off it. Stupid government.

"Do this, do that". _You_ try and keep the attention of 30 teenagers for a whole hour, talking about Macbeth. Not easy.

Repositioning her glasses, Veronica speed-walked through the deserted hallways of Westerberg High School. Her black pleated skirt swished and swayed as her legs fastened their pace. Unfortunately, her cheap tights were sticking to her like glue, making it increasingly uncomfortable to keep up the speed, due to Veronica being so out of shape that she was literally sweating. Sweating because she was _walking quickly_. God, she was such a loser, she should really hit the gym at some point.

Her body temperature increased more and more and Veronica began to severely regret wearing this damn blue turtleneck. It may have been her signature top but it was a bit fucking impractical. Again, Veronica found herself pushing up her glasses that had begun to sneakily slide down the bridge of her nose.

She heard the distant sound of heels click-clacking against the laminate flooring. Thank God Veronica was wearing flats rather than heels, that would have just been the icing on the fucking cake. The click-clacking became louder and clearer and Veronica became aware that the source of the noise was about to come around the corner. She swiftly wiped the sweat from her forehead and prayed that she didn't stink. 

_Note to self: do not speed walk through the hallways whilst being embarrassingly out of shape._

A moment later, two women appeared around the corner, one familiar, one not.

The familiar one was Miss Flemming, Principal of Westerberg and full-time crackhead. She was completely incapable of running a school, yet somehow, she's been doing fine for the last 2 years.

The unfamiliar one was a stunning young woman with golden blonde curls, dazzling blue eyes, and soft, smooth pale skin. She had to be a model, and if she wasn't, she was wasting her looks. Veronica felt herself falter as she surveyed the mystery woman. She noticed the woman was pretty much head to toe dressed in different shades of red, except for the blouse and skirt. Holy shit, she even made a simple white blouse look magical. She wore a tight red blazer, a _very_ short pencil skirt that showed most of her legs even though it was freezing outside. The click-clacking sound had clearly come from her by the looks of those deadly crimson stiletto heels. Ouch.

"Ah, Miss Sawyer!" Principal Flemming greeting, snapping Veronica from her reverie, "I want you to meet our newest teacher,"

She gestured to the woman in red, who gave a bright and confident smile. It sort of resembled a 'mocking' kind of smirk, but Veronica couldn't be sure. She took a small step forward and held out her hand, shyly. The woman took one look at it, wrinkled up her face, and scoffed, turning away. Veronica frowned, snatching her hand back. What was her problem? Too good for handshakes?

_Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't take a person at face value. Understand them first. She may not be a bitch._

Principal Flemming, noticing the awkward exchange, attempted to salvage the situation, "Uh, well, anyway, this is Miss Chandler, our new maths teacher!"

Veronica almost choked. Chandler? As in the mega-rich CEOs Chandler? As in the family who practically owned all of Sherwood, Ohio? Veronica gazed at Miss Chandler, who gave a small nod of confirmation.

"Ah- well, welcome to Westerberg!" Veronica stuttered, running a hand through her hair. Miss Chandler grunted in response.

"Uh anyway, Miss Sawyer, I'll need to talk to you tomorrow, so could you visit me before school?" Flemming requested, clearly wanting to end the conversation as soon as possible.

Veronica nodded, not tearing her gaze from Miss Chandler.

"Perfect!" Principal Flemming beamed, "see you tomorrow!"

With that, Flemming and Miss Chandler brushed past Veronica and continued on their way. Veronica ran a shaky hand through her hair and frowned. So...The new maths teacher is a Chandler? And seeing as Mr and Mrs Chandler only had one child, that child was well known in the local area. Her name was Heather Chandler and she was known for being a mythic bitch. That had to be her.

And now she was here. Veronica had a feeling that she and Heather Chandler would be seeing a lot more of each other, whether they liked it or not. Still, Veronica was going to give her a chance. Maybe she would turn out ok, maybe they could even be friends one day...ok probably not, but it wouldn't be that bad would it?

She shook her head and sauntered out into the cold breeze as the sun set, and all thoughts of Heather Chandler vanished from her mind.

**____________________________________________**

  
"Morning, Miss Sawyer!" A boy called as Veronica entered her classroom.

"Morning, Archie," Veronica replied warmly, setting down her books, "what are you doing in here? Class doesn't start for another 20 minutes,"

She sat down in her chair and took a long sip of her coffee. The school day had already started for most people, but Veronica had a free period. And so, she stopped for coffee on the way and came in late. Wow, she sure was becoming quite the wild child.

Archie gave a bright smile in response and pulled up a chair. He sat down and turned to Veronica, the light bouncing of his platinum blonde curls. 

"Well, Miss Sawyer, I just wanted to ask how you felt about the new maths teacher: Miss Chandler,". He stared expectantly at Veronica.

"Well, I haven't really interacted with her yet," Veronica said, which was a big fat lie, "why do you ask?"

Archie sighed and stared down at the floor. He did the whole twiddling-thumb thing that students tended to do when they were about to say something that could possibly land them a detention. 

Veronica leaned forward, "Archie?"

"Uh...she- she's ok..." he rambled, averting his gaze.

"Archie," Veronica said playfully, "tell me the truth, you can trust me. Be honest,"

Archie looked up and gained a new confidence. "I think she's a fucking bitch," he stated proudly.

Veronica spluttered out her coffee and had a coughing fit for about 2 minutes. Archie, who was very confused at the reaction, just silently waited for Veronica to steady herself. Once she had regained her composure, she set down her cup and leaned back in her chair, shaking her head disbelievingly.

"I didn't mean _that_ honest," she said, "however, I'll pretend I didn't hear that,"

Archie nodded slowly, clearly unaware that he had done anything wrong. He was exactly like Heather McNamara, always blissfully unaware of the things going on around them. Speaking of McNamara...

"Why didnt you go talk to Miss McNamara about this, if you hate Miss Chandler so much?" Veronica inquired as she wiped her desk clean, "you know she would do anything to help you, you're her favourite student,"

"Miss wouldn't take too kindly with me disliking someone, and you're cooler than her anyway," Archie shrugged, picking up his bag and putting his chair away. Veronica couldn't argue with that, she _was_ very cool.

Archie said goodbye to Veronica and began to leave. Just before he walked out the door, Veronica piped up, "Why do you hate her then?"

Archie turned back around and shrugged once more, "She's mean and shouts a lot,"  
  
"Well that's isn't good, is it?"

"No, Miss,"

Veronica sighed. Clearly Heather Chandler would be mean and shout a lot to other people her age, but to _students?_ That was the most unprofessional thing Veronica had ever seen a teacher do. 

Most people who are unnecessarily nasty do it to show power, to show they are superior. They do it because they feel threatened. 

Why on earth would she feel threatened by a bunch of weed-smoking, nose picking, girl-obsessed, disgusting Freshmen? 

_Her ego must be terribly delicate_ Veronica thought, smirking to herself.

"Yeah, I agree," Archie snickered.

Shit did she say that outloud? 

She was supposed to be professional about this, not slagging off a new teacher whom she had never even had a proper conversation with.

She was saved from any explaining by the bell ringing, signalling the end of first period. 

"Uh...Archie, don't tell anyone I said that," Veronica requested quickly.

Archie chuckled and nodded his head whilst doing a "zipping" motion on his lips. He suddenly remembered that the bell had rung and hoisted his bag up.

"Ah well, gotta go, Miss," Archie said giving a little salute and racing out the door. 

Veronica chuckled to herself before preparing for the students to swarm in. 

3

She could already hear the distant chatter growing louder.

2

They were at the door now, pushing eachother like the rabid animals they were.

1

The door burst open and the students piled in. Veronica sighed and sat at her desk, far away from the commotion. She'd been doing this for a while now, but she could never get used to Sophomores on a Tuesday morning. 

"Oh Dan, quit trying to get with Rachel," Veronica bellowed, spotting Dan attempting a cheesy pickup line on the poor girl at the back of the classroom, "she isn't interested,".

There were murmurs and chuckles causing Dan to go bright red. He slumped into his seat and stared at his desk. A few people were beaming at Veronica, some even calling her their favourite teacher.

Veronica grinned and began the lesson.

**____________________________________________**

  
It was lunch now and word of the new maths teacher had spread like wildfire.

Or spread like Heather Chandler's legs on a Friday night. 

Not Veronicas words, although she did have a chuckle when she heard a student say it.

So far the general opinion on Heather Chandler was that she was drop-dead gorgeous, but also an absolute bitch. Some students were even saying that she had set them a 10 page (double sided) workbook with 150 questions altogether due for first period the next day. 

It was her first lesson.

Now, Veronica was all for being hard-working and setting an example on your first day, but that was simply ridiculous. She made a mental note to remind her class of how lucky they were the next time she set them an assignment. At least she wasn't Heather Chandler.

Speak of the devil, Heather was walking right this way. Hair bouncing, hips swaying, lips smirking. Shit, she was so full of herself, it made Veronica nauseous.

She spotted Veronica and made a beeline for her. Veronica cursed herself for not leaving the moment she saw her.

"Ah hello again, Victoria, wasn't It?" Heather greeted, checking her nails. This bitch-

"Uh- Veronica, actually," Veronica replied awkwardly, shuffling her feet and giving a small nervous chuckle.

Heather seemed unbothered, "I'll just call you Sawyer then,"

Veronica felt a sudden fire in her heart, "Well- well actually, I've forgotten your name as well so I'll just call you Chandler,"

Heather actually looked up from her nails and met Veronicas gaze. The corners of her lips turned up ever so slightly and the corners of her eyes wrinkled in amusement. 

All the fire seemed to leave Veronica and for the first time, she noticed that Heather was a substantial amount taller than her, although that could have been due to the ridiculously high heels. Veronica felt very insecure in that moment.

"So..." Veronica started, attempting to move the conversation along from the tense, awkward stage it was at now, "how's your first day been?"

Heather gave a quiet, mocking laugh and answered, "Is that the best you've got? God, you're boring,"

Veronica almost choked at Heather's bluntness.

"Chandler, there's really no need to be so rude..." Veronica attempted, shuffling her feet. She really wasn't that great at social interaction, nevermind confrontation. To top it all off, Heather was someone anyone would get nervous confronting.

"I wasn't being rude, darling, just honest," Chandler said, shrugging, " you see, I'm interesting. I'm an interesting person. People enjoy talking to me, they hang on to my every word. You on the other hand, I haven't listened to a word you've said,"

Veronica frowned and was about to retaliate when a voice came from above.

"Can Miss Sawyer please come to Principal Flemmings office, thank you", came from the intercom.

"Ah," Heather said, "that's for you,". She whipped around and walked the other way, still as cocky as before.

Veronica sighed and made her way to the office, hating Heather Chandler even more than before.

**____________________________________________**

  
"Ah, Miss Sawyer, please come in!" Flemming greeted with a smile that was far too sweet.

Veronica raised her eyebrows suspiciously, but kept quiet. She carefully say down on the old, worn chair. It creaked uncomfortably against her weight. 

_Gee thanks, chair, it's holiday weight_

"Uh so why did you call me here, Principal Flemming?" Veronica asked slowly, still suspicious. That smile was more fake than Heather's, and that was saying something.

Principal Flemming's smile grew wider and ten times more fake. She drummed her fingers on the desk nervously.

"Uh...how's your...cat?" She said, eyes unwavering.

Veronica raised an eyebrow, "did you just call me here to talk about my cat?"

"Not exactly..." Flemming said quietly, glancing down at her hands and losing her smile.

Principal Flemming took a deep breath and stared Veronica down, unblinking. "So, you are aware of Miss Chandler the new maths teacher, yes?"

Was that a trick question?

"...Yes?" Veronica said slowly, suspicious of Flemming's intentions. 

"Well, we've had a few... _c_ _omplaints-"_

Veronica resisted the urge to scoff.

"-and you are of course settled in to the school now so I've decided to...assign you to Chandler,"

Veronicas eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up.

"Assign me to her?" Veronica asked, bewildered, "What do you mean?"

Flemming gave a look of sympathy and explained, "You just need to show her the ropes, give a few tips, you can do that,"

"I...I...sure?" Replied Veronica, shaking her head, still disbelieving.

Why assign _her_? Was it because she thought Veronica was a pushover? Or maybe because Veronica had experience? Or maybe Flemming had seen Chandler speaking to Veronica before? That must have been it, oh goddamn it. 

Veronica removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes, wondering what her plan of action was. It was already hell dealing with Chandler, now she had to be around her a lot of the time?

Shit, this was gonna be tough.

"Really, Principal Flemming, are you sure?" 

Flemming smiled sadly and nodded her head, "It's the best option Miss Sawyer, now how about you talk it over with Miss Chandler,"

"Sure, I'll go find her," Veronica said giving a defeated sigh and getting up out of her chair.

"Oh there's no need for that," Flemming said, "she's already here,"

Sure enough, when Veronica spun around she spotted the signature crimson blazer. Heather had one eyebrow raised and wasn't even looking at Veronica. 

"What's going on?" barked Heather fiercely. She crossed her arms, arched her back and raised her height so she was looking down upon poor Veronica and Flemming as if she was a deadly predator and they were her poor, innocent prey.

"I've come up with a plan," Flemming explained timidly, "a plan for you to achieve your true potential as a teacher at Westerberg,"

Heather scoffed and muttered something under her breath, sounding similar to "bullshit". Principal Flemming cleared her throat and continued.

"Veronica is experienced in this profession, and so I've assigned you to her. You'll be...working together," 

Heather's icy blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and Veronica swore that her skin turned a shade paler than it already was. She cocked her head to the side and stared at Principal Flemming as if she was talking Chinese. After a few uncomfortably silent moments, Heather let out a shrill laugh and had to take some shaky breaths to regain her composure. Veronica frowned. Of all the reactions Heather could of had, that was one she wasn't expecting. Though really, you couldn't predict anything from Heather Chandler. The girl was many things but predictable wasn't one of them.

After Heather had wiped the tears from her eyes and let out a few more laughs, she spoke. "That's very funny, Flemming. Now what are we really doing here?"

Oh, that made sense. She didn't believe Flemming. Veronica couldn't blame her, she had thought it was a joke out first. But alas, it was terrifyingly real, and they would have to put up with eachother more than previously expected.

"I'm sorry, Miss Chandler, but this isn't a joke. We've had some complaints..." Flemming trailed off cautiously, refusing to make eye contact with the raging red demon in front of her.

Heather's face became the same shade as her blazer and she took a deep breath. Veronica silently prepared herself for the verbal massacre that was about to ensue.

"This is bullshit!" Heather screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Now, now, Miss Chandler, there's no need for that kind of language," Flemming tried. It didn't work.

"Why do I need to be assigned to _h_ _er_? I'm perfectly capable on my own!"

"Uh, well, Miss Sawyer is very willing-"

"Well, _I'm_ not fucking willing!"

Veronica sighed, she'd had quite enough of this. It was time to take matters into her own hands. She shot up, causing the chair to topple over. The sudden action caused Heather and Flemming to stop their bickering and glance over to Veronica. Veronica cleared her throat and faced Heather.

"Listen," she began calmly, "we both know that we have a mutual dislike for each other-"

"That's an understatement," Heather scoffed. Veronica raised an eyebrow and continued.

"-but how about we be professional and mature about this? Let's just get through this and we can both improve, it'll help us in the long run,"

Veronica looked at Heather hopefully. She cocked her head and glared in response before sighing, defeated. She wrinkled her nose up in disgust and turned away, muttering a quiet "fine". Principal Flemming beamed, delighted, and clapped her hands together.

"Oh well done, Miss Sawyer!" She cried, her eyes wide and bright.

" _Well done Miss Sawyer_ " Heather repeated, mockingly, putting on a voice similar to Principal Flemming's. She didn't notice.

"Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought," Flemming said, leaning back in her chair and staring off into space.

 _No,_ Veronica thought, _it'll be worse._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I'm super excited to start this and I hope you're excited to read it! Updates will be every 2 weeks unless stated otherwise. I'll probably add more tags but unfortunately, my laptop broke so I'm doing this on my phone, which means that I can't add certain tags. Anyway, thanks for reading and have a great day!
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBiscuit


	2. Teaching Tips from The Demon Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a little bit of JDonica in this, but don't worry, it won't last ;)

Veronica and Heather stood awkwardly outside of Principal Flemming's office, neither looking at each other. Veronica shuffled her feet slightly and hummed quietly. Eventually, Heather rolled her eyes and spoke up, making Veronica jump. 

"Listen, Sawyer, you were right,", by the sour face she was pulling, it looked like it caused great pain for Heather to say that, "the sooner we do this, the sooner it's over and done with,"   
  
"Uh, that's not exactly what I was trying to say..." 

"Shut up," Heather answered, voice raised, "that's how I feel about it. So let's just, get on with it, and then we can avoid each other for the rest of our lives,"  
  
"Sounds good to me," Veronica answered, shrugging.

Heather nodded and spun on her heel. She was about to walk away when Veronica realised something they could do to "learn off each other".

"Hey, Chandler," she called, "I have an idea,"

Heather sighed, frustrated, and spun back around, crossing her arms and cocking her head. She gave an angry "what?". Veronica noted that she seemed to do that a lot, the whole cocking head thing. It seemed to be when she was expectant, confused or sceptical. She sort of looked like a lost puppy when she did it. Heh, cute. 

Veronica snapped back to reality to answer Heather, not wanting to piss her off any more than she already had.

"Well, how about you come to watch one of my lessons? You can make some notes and get some tips, it'll be a great experience for you and you can improve on your current...skill set,".

Heather scoffed dramatically and gave a patronizing laugh. "Like I wanna watch any of your shitty lessons, I have this all under control, I don't need any 'tips' thank you very much,".

"Chandler, I'm trying to help-"

"Well, thanks, but I don't need it. I'm better than you anyway, _I_ should be helping _you_ ,"

That's it, Veronica was done with her shit. This bitch needed to be shut down.

"Well clearly Principal Flemming doesn't think so," she retorted angrily, "and neither do the students,".

Heather was taken aback, shocked that someone would dare challenge her. After a moment's she regained herself and showed her usual sneer. She opened her mouth to throw an insult, but Veronica interrupted her. She wasn't losing this fight.

"I'm trying to be nice and trying to help you, but you're having a tantrum-throwing it back in my face like the pathetic little toddler you are,".

If Heather was mad before she was livid now. Yet, despite her rage, she was speechless. Deciding to quit while she was ahead, Veronica turned around and strutted away.

As she was leaving, she turned and shouted over her shoulder "see you next lesson then. Oh and bring a clipboard,"

Veronica turned the corner, leaving a furious Heather in the dust. 

That felt...exhilarating. Veronica had to slump against the wall and compose herself for a second. She was normally so calm and collected, but something about Heather Chandler made her blood boil, and she just snapped. 

"Saw what you did back there," a deep voice said from beside her, "Well done,"

Veronica jumped at turned to see Jason Dean, the History teacher, stood there. Instead of everyone calling him "Jason Dean" or "Jason", he requested that everyone should call him "JD". Veronica personally thought that was a very cool name and had told him such. Well, she'd tried to, but then got nervous and decided against it. But the thought was still there. 

JD's short, jet black hair was slicked back, his tight black shirt was tucked into his jeans and his trenchcoat bellowed out behind him like a cape. He was breaking every clothing code in the book, especially with the jeans, and Flemming had berated him endlessly. Yet, he still carried on, and Veronica had major respect for him for that. She also had major respect for him putting up with those lovesick teenage girls who swooned over him. Apparently, 'bad-boy' was in right now, and JD certainly came under that category.

"Hey Mr Dean, you frightened me," Veronica said nervously, standing straighter and adjusting her glasses. 

JD gave a charming small and laughed warmly. Veronica felt butterflies in her stomach and her face flushed. 

"I'm sorry for scaring you, but you shouldn't be so formal," he said, "you know you can call me JD"

"Of- of course, JD" Veronica replied, looking away.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I saw how you spoke to the maths teacher over there. I didn't know you had so much power, Veronica. I underestimated you,". 

The way he looked at Veronica felt like he was peering into her soul. Those eyes, those dark, intelligent eyes that Veronica had dreamed so much about, and now they were looking at _her_. She felt blessed.

"Oh! Well..." She said, remembering that she forgot to answer, "I normally don't say things like that, but I'm very passionate about my job and she isn't giving it the respect it deserves,"

JD smiled broadly once again and Veronica swore she was going to faint.

_Ok, Veronica, keep it cool, you can do this, he's just a colleague. A "sexy, mysterious, intelligent, completely-your-type colleague", but still just a colleague nonetheless._

"I completely agree," JD said, "and I was very impressed with your insult,"

"I try my best," Veronica smirked, causing JD to grin and rub the back of his neck.

 _Ok ok, you joked and he smiled. That's good, that's like... shitty flirting, which is better than no flirting... sort of_.

There was a moment of silence as JD continued to rub the back of his neck and stare at the floor. He seemed to be in deep thought so Veronica didn't want to interrupt him, but she was also smart enough to realise that silences weren't good. Silences meant that you weren't comfortable with one another. Veronica was silently debating whether to leave him to it or spark a conversation when JD cleared his throat, gaining Veronica's attention. His face was rather red and he looked slightly uncomfortable. Veronica panicked, wondering what she had said to make him feel that way. 

"So...Veronica," JD mumbled, still refusing to make eye contact, "I was wondering if you...wanted to, like, go get a drink some time? Totally cool if not,"

Veronica could have died right there and then. All her pathetic high school fantasies were nothing compared to this. 

_Fuck you, Stacey, I can get a guy!_

Veronica suddenly realised she was just stood there with her mouth open like a fish and decided that possibly wasn't the coolest look. She closed her mouth and took a deep breath, trying not to let out an excited squeal.

"Uh, _yes_!". She practically squealed. She gave a little awkward cough, "Yes. Yeah, that sounds great actually, I'd love that,"

JD looked immensely relieved and gave a charming smile. After a moment, he lost the smile, nodded and looked away, obviously trying to keep up the "emotionless bad-boy" persona, but it was clear he was overjoyed. 

"So, I'll contact you some time then, yeah?" He said, stuffing hid hands in his trenchcoat pockets and leaning back against the lockers. 

Veronica nodded so vigorously in response, she felt her neck might just snap.

_Ah yes, he will definitely love me after that_

JD just gave another small nod and sauntered away, his trenchcoat swishing behind him. Veronica stared after him dreamily, hugging herself. She felt as if she was in a dream, completely verbally destroying Heather Chandler, holding an actual conversation with JD, and now being _asked out_ by JD. 

Veronica smiled to herself and began to walk to her classroom for the next lesson. She had completely forgotten it was lunch and silently thanked the stars that no students came by and interrupted them. Veronica paused and thought for a second; why did no students come? That's when she glanced at the clock and realised it was already the next lesson and she was rather late.

Late for the lesson, she was having with Heather. Oh shit.

At that moment, Veronica didn't care about how stupid it would make her look, she legged it to her classroom and didn't take another look back.

  
**____________________________________________**

  
_Holy shit that was fast. Usain Bolt better watch out_

Veronica entered her classroom, puffing and panting and feeling slightly more sweaty than before. She spotted all the students there, being rowdy as ever, and one smug Heather Chandler, sat at the back of the room. Her hands with her perfectly manicured fingernails clutched a clipboard, as Veronica had suggested. She had her legs crossed gracefully and she looked as if she owned the place. 

All head turned to Veronica as she caught her breath.

"Are you alright, Miss?" A boy called.

Veronica gave a small nod, keeping her eyes focused on Heather.

"Turning up late to your lesson, huh?" Heather mocked, raising and eyebrow, "is that something I should note down?"

Veronica sighed and threw her head back.

_Jesus Christ, this will be fun._

Veronica adjusted her glasses nervously as Heather Chandler's piercing blue eyes glared at her own deep brown ones. Heather bit her lip and raised a brow quizzically. Was she waiting for Veronica or was she going to say something? 30 other pairs of eyes stared blankly at Veronica as she gave a small cough and sat down at her desk. 

Ok Veronica this is fine. It's just like any other English lesson, except this time there's an insufferable maths teacher at the back of the classroom. Nothing you can't handle.

Veronica cleared her throat and began to take the register, praying that no class clowns decided to play a prank on her and say 'here' to a different name. Luckily, after what felt like eternity, she had taken the register with no major slip-ups. Now, she just had to teach, which seemed impossible at this moment.

Come one Veronica, pull yourself together.

She cleared her throat again and took a deep breath. She opened her mouth to speak before she was interrupted.

"Ahem, if I may," Heather spoke, "I just wanted to say that the register took an awful long time did it not?"

Veronica faltered and furrowed her brow, confused. "Uh...I suppose?"

"Yes, well, I suggest that you possibly alter the way you go about it and go through the names at a quicker pace,"

_Why...Why is she speaking like someone from the 1800s?_

"Sure," Veronica replied, "I'll keep that in mind for next time,"

Heather grinned triumphantly and began to scribble on to her clipboard. Veronica would have bet 20 bucks Heather was just doodling a picture of herself as God.

Veronica regained her focus and began her lecture on Act 2 Scene 1 of Macbeth. She'd just got comfortable and had her usual rhythm when a small cough came from the back of the classroom. Veronica sighed and turned, glaring at Heather.

"Sorry, Miss Sawyer but you are incorrect," she stated, her eyes narrowed, daring Veronica to contradict her.

Veronica rolled her eyes, "incorrect about what exactly, Miss Chandler?"

"Macbeth's first name is Horace. You said it's never directly mentioned, but it's mentioned that his first name is Horace in Act 8 scene 3,"

Veronica almost burst into laughter and had to take a second to make sure she didn't. When she was sure she wasn't going to chuckle she responded, "you can read the entire play and see his first name is never mentioned. I've read it 6 times. Also, there is no Act 8,"

" _Sure_ ," Chandler said, scoffing. she began to sulk in her chair, not even bothering to write anything down anymore.

Veronica smirked to herself and went on with her lesson. 

After an hour, she was finished. The lesson was over, she'd got through it, and Heather had only spoken up a few more times. The kids began to pack up and Veronica sat down at her desk.

"Miss Sawyer, can I give you some feedback?" Heather asked, standing up from her seat. She didn't even bother waiting for Veronica to reply before speaking.

"Well, that lesson was possibly the most boring experience of my life,"

A couple of students went "ooh" and started muttering to one another. Veronica just sighed and leaped up from her seat, furious. She marched over the Heather and scowled. Heather seemed shocked at first but then immediately scowled back at Veronica.

"Miss Chandler," Veronica began through gritted teeth, "I really do appreciate your feedback but I'm 24 years old. I've been doing this for 3 years now so I think I know what I'm doing,"

Chandler huffed and replied "I'm 23 so I'm not even that much younger,"

"I really do not care," 

Veronica spun on her heel and sauntered back to the front of the classroom. A few students were smiling at her, a few were confused, and Heather seems to be bewildered. The bell rung and Heather began to walk swiftly out of the room, glaring at Veronica as she went past. Just before she was out of the door, she turned and discretely gave Veronica the finger. Veronica just gave a her a big smile in return.

A few students went up to Veronica and said they thought that was really cool of her. Veronica thanked them, explaining that she just didn't enjoy people telling her what to do.

The majority of those students left leaving only Archie. Veronica smiled warmly at him, gesturing for him to sit down. Archie sat down nervously and started wringing his hands. His chocolate brown eyes were glued to the floor, unmoving. Veronica waited patiently until he was able to talk, which happened to be about 2 seconds later.

"Miss Sawyer," Archie mumbled, still looking at the floor, "the way Miss Chandler treated you back there wasn't ok,"

Veronica gave him a warm smile and said "I appreciate your concern, Archie, but it's fine. It's not your problem to deal with,".

Archie gave a slight nod and sighed, slumping back in his chair. He furrowed his brow thoughtfully before looking up at Veronica again.

"Miss?"

"Yes, Archie?"

"Things haven't been great at home,"

Veronica sighed and gave Archie a look of sympathy. He'd actually started to stay behind and talk to Veronica when his Mum had just passed away. Poor boy had been speaking to her ever since. Veronica knew she wasn't perfect at helping people and she certainly didn't have experience in this field, but she liked to think that whenever Archie came to complain about having to look after his sister, or his dad been drunk out of his mind, she helped just a little bit simply by listening. It was a chance for poor Archie to get his feelings out and discuss things with someone he respected.

"I'm sorry you have to go through that, Archie," Veronica replied quietly, "now are we going to have one of those discussions where you want me to participate? Or is it one where you just want me to shut up and listen whilst you talk?"

"I just wanna rant, really," Archie muttered, shrugging. 

Veronica gave a nod which was indication for Archie to continue, "Well, last night...I was looking after Alice when my dad came home. He was pissed, in the drunk way and in the annoyed way. He started blabbing on about how Mom's death was all my fault, and I fucked up the family, the usual, y'know? Anyway, my first thought was to get Alice out of there, she didn't need to hear this, so I did. I put her in her room where she was safe from...from _him_. He shouted some more. I actually thought he was gonna hit me this time but he didn't, thank God,"

Veronica sat in stunned silence. No matter how many times she heard of Archie's life at home, she could never get used to it. It was horrific, unimaginable. This bright, kind, helpful, genuine boy who would never hurt a soul was going through so much torment he didn't deserve. Archie came into school every day with a wide smile, cheerfully greeting everyone he met. He gave his all and more in every lesson and helped others. He did all that despite what was going on at home.

Veronica had immense respect and admiration for this boy.

"Archie...I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say, I don't think many of it would help you, anyway, I'm really not a professional..."

"It's fine Miss, you just listening to me is enough." Archie smiled yet there was still a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"It isn't though...I think you should contact someone, maybe a trusted family member?" Veronica suggested, leaning forward and placing her hands on Archie's shoulders.

"No, I can't," he replied, shaking his head vigorously and pulling away, "and you can't either."

Archie seemed adamant. However, so was Veronica.

"Listen, I may have to talk to someone about this, it isn't ok. Not only is he putting you in danger, but also your sister." Veronica attempted to make her voice as soothing as possible, to make sure Archie was calm.

Archie sat there for a few moments, clearly thinking though his options. Eventually, he came to a desicion and sighed, "I'll think about contacting someone, just please don't tell anyone, not yet. I beg you, Miss Sawyer.

Veronica thought for a moment. "Promise me?"

"I promise."

  
Veronica was still uncertain but when she opened her mouth to retort, Archie cut her off.

"Anyway, the reason I brought it up is...Miss Chandler reminds me of my dad,"

Veronica was taken aback. Yes, Heather was a bit of a bitch, but she wasn't as bad as a mentally abusing, sorry excuse for a father. Surely Archie couldn't think that badly of Heather?

"Uh, how so?" She enquired, placing her hand on her chin and frowning.

"She has a complete disregard for other people. She doesn't notice that there are people just trying to get on with things whilst she is being annoying,"

Veronica didn't reply, instead just biting her lip and looking at her computer. The time was 15:45. School had already finished and she had to go home soon. Archie noticed this as well and got up from his seat. Before Veronica could say another word, Archie gave a small wave and was out the door. 

Veronica sat there in bewildered silence for a good while as the world carried on around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I was updating every two weeks, but I decided to upload this early to get the series going. Updates will be every fortnight from now on, I promise! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, sorry if it was a little bit shorter. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBiscuit


	3. Meet The Staff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica gets to know the teachers of Westerberg High

" _Shit_!".

Veronica winced as the scorching hot coffee slid down her throat. She gulped down about one hundred gallons of water before spluttering for a few more moments. She was a teacher, she should know by now the rules of drinking coffee.   
  
Rule 1, do not take a large sip before you know how hot it is.   
  
_A rookie mistake Veronica._

Her hopes of her little incident being unnoticed were shattered by the sound of a voice from behind her.

"You ok there?". The voice was as smooth as velvet. Veronica knew instantly who it belonged to.

JD raised an eyebrow and smirked at the still slightly spluttering Veronica. That damn smirk made her go into overdrive and she spluttered even more. That got a soft chuckle from JD. How can this guy be a bad boy and a soft boy at the same time?

"I'm- I'm ok, thanks," Veronica replied, pushing her glasses up her nose nervously. JD's narrow, dark eyes bore deep into her soul and she felt herself wither under his gaze. Eventually, he smirked again and gave a slight nod.

"I'm heading to the staffroom now," JD said, attempting to move the conversation along, "you coming?"

Veronica often spent her time in the library rather than the staff room, but she still found herself saying "Yes, absolutely!".

She wasn't very close to any of the teachers there, except for maybe Miss Dunnstock. They weren't best friends or anything, but they were friendly. The most interaction they had was at the water fountain, discussing how shitty this school was and how amazing it would be to change jobs. The other teachers were nothing like her, so she never really found she was able to talk to them at all, and if she did, it was only about work. Veronica was the kind of person who preferred to keep to herself, she was perfectly content with her own company. Her work was the only companion she would ever need. Sure, it meant she sometimes went days without proper human interaction with people other than students, but it also meant that she got work done and was the highest achieving teacher there. Sure, this was Westerberg so that wasn't the greatest achievement, but it was something. She always ended up embarrassing herself around other people, so she avoided it as much as possible.

Although, if JD wanted to be with her...she certainly wouldn't decline.

The pair walked in a silence that wasn't exactly comfortable but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was just sort of...there. It loomed over them, preventing them from being able to think about nothing else other than it. It was taunting, suffocating. Veronica wondered how to, or if she should break the silence. She didn't know a whole load about JD but she knew that he wasn't the most social person. And so, perhaps he enjoyed this silence, and who was she to deny him that? Maybe talking would make him even more uncomfortable, which would make her uncomfortable, and that wouldn't be good for either of them.

Veronica opted to keep her mouth shut and keep staring straight ahead.

Although, many questions she wanted to ask JD were swimming around her head. He was an enigma, the most mysterious guy you could ever meet. He wore a trenchcoat for God's sake. Veronica found herself yearning to know about him, just basic things. Hell, she didn't even know where he _l_ _ived._ Well, not "lived" specifically, just the general area. If she asked him where he specifically lived, he'd probably run for the hills. She wouldn't blame him. But if she was ever going to be close with him, she should at least know the basics, shouldn't she?

Maybe she _s_ _hould s_ ay something? _Hey, whatcha been up to?_ No, that was weird and basic. This guy needs something different, something engaging, something that would make him think highly of Veronica.

...W _hat's your favourite colour?_ Shit, no, that was even worse. Also, judging by his clothing, it was probably black. Just a hunch.

"-onica? Hey, Veronica?". JD pulled her from her thoughts as he leaned closer to her. She felt her heart beating her chest but managed to stay relatively calm. His breath was surprisingly disgusting, which was a minor negative.

"Oh- yeah?" She said, shaking her head and gathering her thoughts. 

He gave an affectionate grin and pointed to the staff room door, indicating that they had arrived. Veronica nodded, took a deep breath and entered. Immediately, she was overwhelmed with the distinct stench of coffee and smoke. Unsurprisingly, the smells were coming for the teachers, each with a cup of cheap, shitty coffee in one hand, and a cigarette in another. Veronica almost choked on the thick stench of smoke but managed to prevent it by holding her nose. 

A woman in green looked her way and frowned. She was talking to a woman in yellow who also turned around. The woman in green marched over and flicked her sleek black hair over her shoulder. She threw her cigarette on the floor, stomped on it, and then looked Veronica up and down judgementally. She gave a small grunt before returning to her original place and resuming as normal.

... _What the fuck_?

That green woman was Heather Duke, the science teacher. Apparently just walking up to someone, blatantly judging them and then leaving seemed normal to her, but each to their own. Duke was a very pretentious and controlling person who liked to think she ruled the school, despite the fact that nobody really gave a shit about her. She was one of the people Veronica disliked the most at this place, so she would definitely try to stay out of her way. Getting involved with Heather Duke would be worse than getting involved with Heather Chandler.

The smaller yellow woman next to her was Heather McNamara, the art teacher. Equally as good looking, with platinum blonde hair and large, round, sparkling eyes. She was a lot more light-hearted and genuine, but she was still a little bit self-absorbed. Not only this, but she was rather...dim. Apparently, in one of her lessons, she confessed that she couldn't spell "chair". Clearly, she wouldn't work well with Veronica, an _English_ teacher. Nevertheless, Veronica decided she wouldn't close that door just yet and they could possibly be friends with one another. She would have to teach McNamara some spellings, however.

Seeing as both Duke and McNamara were called 'Heather', Veronica couldn't believe it when Chandler arrived. It was ridiculous and unnecessarily confusing. At least they didn't all have the same surname.

Scanning the room, Veronica's gaze fell on a short, plump woman with huge glasses, a bright pink unicorn sweatshirt and long brown hair in a low ponytail. Martha Dunnstock, the Religious Education (RE) teacher. Of all the people at this rotten school, Martha was by far the sweetest. She had a huge heart but around here, that simply wasn't enough. Not only was she nice, but she was a genuinely good teacher. Veronica had had the pleasure of watching one of her lessons and she found that Martha was engaging and consistent, something that every teacher needs to be. Not only that, but she seemed very passionate about her lessons, even getting into an argument with one of her students over animal cruelty. It was the first time Veronica had ever seen her raise her voice. In other words, she was a perfect RE teacher. Getting friendly with Martha? Sounds good.

Ah and of course, Dumb and Dumber, Kurt Kelly and Ram Sweeney, the gym teachers. They were arrogant and disgusting and Veronica made sure to keep well away from them. They were horrible to their students in the lesson and they never taught anything. They forced their students to run whilst they sat and messed about the whole time. Kurt always rambled on about how he could have been a star football player if it hadn't have been for his injury. Apparently, it was some big fight where Kurt absolutely destroyed the guy but got his leg broken in the process. Veronica and found out that was false and he had actually has broken his leg because he was so drunk, he tried to jump off a roof. Thank God he landed on some cardboard boxes and only broke his leg. She could, however, confirm that he had indeed been a promising football player, even getting signed to play for a team in the big leagues. So he went from being a celebrity athlete to teaching a bunch of embarrassingly unfit, incredibly annoying, low life students? Veronica almost felt sorry for him. Almost. 

Despite the fact that Ram was an absolute douchebag, Martha had a major crush on him. Veronica couldn't understand why seeing as Martha had a heart of gold and Ram had a heart of...footballs and hot chicks. But hey, who was she to judge? Crushes are crazy things and you don't always expect them. Veronica certainly never expected to have a major crush on the interesting history teacher.

It may have possibly been because Ram wasn't horrible looking, and neither was Kurt. Ram had short, curly black hair and deep brown eyes, whereas Kurt had straight, fluffy brown hair and bright blue eyes. If they were a little more respectful, Veronica would have thought they were attractive, but their disgusting attitudes definitely ruined it. Although, that wasn't the case for most people as the two boys were renowned for being able to get any girl they wanted. Apart from Veronica of course, but she doubted they want her anyway. See, she actually had a brain.

She eventually came back to real life and decided to take a seat on the cheap, worn sofas in the corner. JD trailed behind her and stayed close to her. She felt herself heat up but refused to let it show, instead keeping her gaze forward and her head up.

She wondered how she could end this silence and looked around the room for a conversation starter. The only person who wasn't already talking to someone right now was Duke, who was reading a book. Veronica took a breath and decided to go for it. She leaned forward and coughed to get Duke's attention. It didn't work. She coughed a little bit louder. The surprise didn't work. Veronica rolled her eyes and walked up to Duke.

"Uh, watcha reading there?" Veronica said quietly, gesturing to the book in Duke's hands. Duke slowly looked up at Veronica in response, frowning.

She opened her mouth to speak but then her eyes looked down at Veronica name badge which read "V. Sawyer, English Teacher". At the sight of the badge, her expression turned sour and she briskly walked away.

  
Ah of course. Duke was very into literature, everyone knew that. She could always be seen with a copy of Moby Dick in her grasp, which was a personal favourite of Veronica's as well. Anyway, because of this, she had always wanted to be an English teacher, and So she applied at Westerberg. She obviously didn't get the job and Veronica got it instead.

That's why she despised Veronica

Veronica was relieved it wasn't anything to do with her personally and decided to head back to JD, who smiled at her return. She noticed that all the teachers had gathered around the coffee table on the sofas Veronica and JD were on previously. JD seemed to be getting along smoothly with all of them and Veronica felt a strong sense of jealousy towards him for being able to talk to people without sounding like a knob. 

She sat down and avoided eye contact with the lot of them, hoping she'd just be able to disappear. She should have just gone to the library.

"So, what does everyone think of the new teacher, Heather Chandler?" Mac enquired, which grabbed Veronica's attention. She sneakily listened in, still avoiding eye contact.

"I personally think she's ok," Mac continued, shrugging, "She doesn't deserve the hate that she gets,".

"Bullshit!" Duke exclaimed, looking up from her book and glaring daggers at Mac, which caused the yellow woman to recoil in fear, "her head is so far up her ass, she can see her insides. She's probably so familiar with them, she could replace me for biology,"

JD clearly agreed seeing as he let out a quiet snicker and a small nod of his head. Veronica just sighed and rolled her eyes. Sure, Heather wasn't the nicest but even that was a bit harsh. 

"I agree with you completely, Heather," JD said, pointing at Duke, who gave a nod of appreciation in return.

Martha gave a small cough before stating "she was rather mean about my weight today. I found it unnecessary,"

Veronica felt deep sympathy for the girl, she really didn't deserve that kind of hate. She felt herself hate Heather Chandler even more than before.

Kurt was next to speak up, "Dude, Heather Chandler is like a mega babe!"

Ram nodded vigorously in agreement, a broad grin on his face. "yeah man, like...mega hot!"

_Is...is their vocabulary that limited? Like, I know they skipped pretty much all of high school but really?_

Despite her original plan to shut up and blend in, Veronica found herself saying "You two are literal children,"

Kurt and Ram turned to her and looked at her as if she's just appeared out of nowhere. So they hadn't noticed her? Veronica ignored the small bit of pain in her heart.

_No, I don't want to be noticed._

"What did you say to me, skank?" Ram spat viciously, leaning closer to her. His breath reeked of cigarette smoke and cheap beer, making Veronica gag.

Veronica panicked and leaned away, sinking into the sofa. JD sent a warning look to Ram, who made the smart decision to back off. There was a tense, awkward silence after that which lingered for a while before everyone decided it was time to head back to their classrooms. Veronica felt awful that she was the one who had ruined the mood, all because she couldn't keep her damn mouth shut.

JD noticed her sudden change in demeanour and shot her a worried glance. She patted her shoulder reassured her that it was fine and that Ram was just a prick. Veronica smiled gratefully at him and they walked back to lessons together.

JD was rambling on about some sort of tranquillizer bullet that Nazi's used in WW2 when none other than the Mythic Bitch herself decided to show up. She was the centre of attention in the hallway as always, heads turning as she walked past. JD noticed her and scowled, his expression turning dark. He arched his back and puffed out his chest as Veronica tried to keep walking.

"Ah, Jesse James!" Heather sneered, her voice laced with venom, "Quelle suprise,"

Veronica felt a conflict coming on, and bowed her head, desperately hoping Heather wouldn't acknowledge her.

"Heather Chandler," JD said with equally as much venom, "can't say it's nice to see you,"

"The feeling is mutual, don't worry,"

Heather moved her gaze from JD over to the awkward girl in blue. "Sawyer! Sorry, you're so insignificant I didn't notice you,"

And there was that pain again, though now it was amplified. All her life, Veronica never cared about being alone, in fact, she welcomed it. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, exceptionally smart, exceptionally rich or exceptionally cool, she was just exceptionally average. And that was perfect for her. That had been her way of life since she was little, and now this bitch joins her school and she feels herself changing. She feels herself craving to more than just...survive. She didn't want to be special or anything... just... more than she was doing now. Veronica was never jealous before of anyone else, yet now she was jealous of JD being able to talk to people, she was jealous of all the teachers being close and she was jealous of how God damn gorgeous Heather was. 

"I suppose you're used to that though aren't you?" Heather added, cocking her head and sticking out her bottom lip. Veronica wanted to wipe that look clean off her face, but instead, she just stayed silent, praying this would all stop.

"Watch it Chandler," JD growled, squaring his shoulders and taking a step forward. Heather didn't even flinch.

"I don't need protection, JD," Veronica mumbled, pushing up her glasses and looking down at the floor.

JD sent her a quizzical glance, "but-"

"I said I don't need protection," Veronica roared loudly, staring him straight in the eyes with a glare so strong it could kill. JD closed his mouth and stepped back, utterly bewildered.

Heather seemed surprised but also... happy? Veronica couldn't understand why on earth Heather would be happy that Veronica acted like that seeing as she always liked to insult Veronica on her quietness. Maybe she was happy that JD had just been told off? Or maybe she was happy that now, Veronica wasn't quite so boring and insufferable.

_Ok, right, why the fuck are you bringing yourself down so much_ _?_

Veronica averted her gaze from JD to Heather, who looked expectant. Veronica took a deep breath, straightened her back, and glared daggers at Heather, who didn't react.

"Listen, Chandler, I know how you feel about me, and you know how I feel about you. That's very clear. However, there is simply no need to be so nasty and spiteful,"

Veronica's voice was firm and aggressive, something that was new. In contrast to her usual nervous stutter, her voice was clear, confident, and quite scary. She wanted to make sure Heather understood every single word. Heather seemed caught off guard for a moment before returning to her usual resting bitch face. She would not be told what to do by anyone, especially not Veronica.

"Only telling the truth, darling," she said, sweetly, "no need to get your panties in a twist,"

Veronica was about to fight back before she stopped herself. The best thing to do with people like Heather Chandler is to ignore them. They crave attention, good or bad, so not giving them any is a real blow. Veronica huffed and swerved around Heather, who laughed obnoxiously. Heather called a few insults and questions to Veronica, who tuned them out. Although, from what she could hear, Heather's voice seemed to have a hint of desperation to it. Clearly, the 'ignoring technique' was having an effect on the Demon Queen.

Veronica continued, the comments not affecting her in the slightest. She didn't have to deal with it, so she wasn't going to deal with it. Fuck Heather Chandler and everyone else who doubted her.

**____________________________________________**

  
The collar of her turtleneck itched uncomfortably around her neck as she read her book. She rapidly tapped her shoe on the carpet until it eventually felt too painful to continue. That was probably the most exercise she had ever done. 

Though this was one of her favourite books of all time, and was always a great pleasure to read, she just wasn't taking any of it in. She'd read the same sentence 5 times now, anymore and she felt like she might just go insane.

The plot of the book was about how the protagonist desperately wanted to be be popular, and then she gets accepted into this group of popular girls. Veronica had just got to the part where this protagonist girl meets a strange lone wolf and is immediately attracted to him. Veronica was suspicious of this lone wolf, and she wanted the protagonist and the leader of the popular girls to get together anyway anyway. They may have been rivals, but it was really cute and they had a great dynamic. She hoped that they ended up together eventually, despite the loser lone wolf.

Veronica felt like she was beginning to relate to the protagonist, wanting to be popular and to be wanted, except this time there was no popular group to join, no girls to make her beautiful. Just Veronica, a woman in her mid twenties who worked at a shitty school in Sherwood, Ohio. She had no social life, no fun, barely any money to her name. She knew her life wasn't like that book, she'd never be free, she'd never do anything, she'd never find anyone. 

No matter how hard she tried, Veronica still couldnt enjoy the book. In addition, it was becoming increasingly harder to read so either her eyes had substantially deteriorated in the past hour or it was far too late to be at school. Deciding on the latter, Veronica pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and slammed her book shut. The silence that surrounded her was eerie to say the least, so she hummed to distract herself. She stretched for a moment before turning off the lights and entering the halls.

The deserted hallways of Westerberg were pitch black and completely silent, implying that Veronica was the last one here again. She couldnt even make out the big Rottweiler mural on the wall, although that was a good thing. The school didnt exactly have that much money, so the mural was rather low budget. Basically, one eye was on the side of its head. Veronica felt sorry for the poor thing.

She walked at a swift pace, wanting nothing more than to grab a cup of coffee and snuggle up in bed. She was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the blonde woman in the crimson blazer, sauntering behind her. 

Veronica almost screamed when Heather tapped her shoulder from behind, but luckily she was just about able to control herself. Heather let out a chuckle at Veronica's expression before continuing on down the hallway. Veronica stared after her in utter shock before following by her side.

There was an awkward silence between them, the only sound audible being Heather's deadly heels. Veronica felt like she would have to be the one to break the silence, seeing as Heather was probably pissed about earlier. Although, that whole interaction a second ago seemed friendly enough. 

"So...uh about earlier," Veronica piped up, "I'm...sorry,"

What, no she wasn't? She was the furthest thing from sorry, so why was she apologising? She was about to take back her statement when Heather gave her reply.

"Why are you sorry? You have a feistiness in you, I saw it earlier outside Principal Flemming's office. I like your feistiness, it's a cool side to you, no need to apologise for it."

Veronica felt like she must have been going mad because for some reason...hearing Heather say that made her face flush. She tried her best to ignore it.

Heather wasn't admitting that she was at fault in any way, but she was admitting that Veronica wasnt at fault either, and that was something. 

The feeling of being appreciated is such a strange experience and it was one that Veronica was greatly, almost depressingly, unfamiliar to. The way her heart fluttered, the way she felt as if a million tonne weight had been lifted from her mind, the way she just couldn't help but grin.

That thought of: hey, I'm not actually that bad! Sure I'm not fantastic, but someone just said they like something about me, something that I was so insecure about! Really, I had no reason to worry at all!

Not only that, but Heather was absolutely perfect (Well... sort of) so getting complimented by her was an honour. No, a _pr_ _iveledge_. Heather was one of the fiestiest women Veronica knew, so if she thought she, an awkward loser, was feisty... well, that was quite the compliment.

Despite being 24 years of age, in that moment, Veronica Sawyer felt like a giddy teenager.

Then it all came crashing down as she came to an earth-shattering realisation:

She felt appreciated for the first time in her whole life and it was because of _Heather fucking Chandler_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm back! 2 quick things:
> 
> 1\. In case you don't follow my Tumblr (you should!), I mentioned on there that I have already written 6 chapters. Because of this, I'm going to be updating every week instead of 2 weeks until I've caught up. Once I've uploaded all my pre-written chapters, it'll be 2 weeks. 
> 
> 2\. The chapters are actually going to be longer from now on. Now it'll be a minimum of 4000 words. I'm really trying to push myself and work harder on my writing.
> 
> Thank you for reading and have a great day!


	4. Making progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica has flashbacks and has a new view on Heather.

Veronica still couldn't quite get over what happened. On simple phrase, only a couple of words, had turned her whole world upside down, and now she didn't know what she was feeling. 

The last time Veronica had ever felt appreciated like this was back in kindergarten, many years ago.

 **____________________________________________**

_"Ronnie!" Betty called, racing after her._  
  
_Veronica giggled loudly into the wind as she ran even faster. The golden meadow seemed like some kind of other world at that moment, the sun rays shining in the distance, the sky clear and blue. There were only a couple of clouds in the sky, and they were fluffy and white, looking soft enough to sleep on. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful._

_Beautiful was a word Veronica had just discovered, and it was a big word, especially for a three year old. However, she still tried to use it in ever sentence possible._

_That flower was beautiful._

_That lady was beautiful._

_That dog frick fracking with another dog was beautiful._

_That word triggered something in Veronica that stayed with her for a very long time. She found herself wishing that everyone and everything would just be beautiful._

_"Ronnie, wait, oh my gosh!" Betty huffed desperately, still chasing after the little brunette. She may have been able to catch up, despite stumbling over a few rocks, but luckily, Veronica had rather long legs and was the fastest girl in school. She'd beaten most of the boys, and then laughed in their faces because she was just that classy._

_Veronica kept running and didn't glance back. She knew Betty was getting left behind but she didn't care at all, she'd never felt this free. She felt like if she kept running, she'd fall off the earth and into eternal bliss forevermore._

_Of course, that wasn't how she had phrased it in her mind. Hers was more like "if I go speed, I fall and be happy for long time". Very intelligent, Veronica._

_Her legs began to burn and her lungs were screaming at her to stop, but she pushed it out of her mind and carried on. She had no idea what was possessing her to continue to run, she just had this feeling that there was something she needed to find. If she kept going, she'd find it, and it would all be worth it._

_Soon enough, with great disappointment, she found the edge of the meadow with nothing special to find there. It wasn't endless, and the end was certainly underwhelming to day the least. Now there was only a run-down town with graffiti on every wall. The people were rough and scary, unlike her home town. Just how far had she ran? Veronica felt nervous and was about to run back to Betty, back to safety, when she spotted a small girl._

_It's funny because up until this point, the flashback was totally clear for Veronica. She remembered every single minscule detail, down to the colour of the leaves, and the scent of the grass. The moment that girl came into view, though, it was so hazy that she couldn't make out anything more than the luscious, flowing, golden locks and the bright red scrunchie holding them in a loose ponytail. The girl stood there, still as a statue, looking very uncomfortable. Her eyes were darting everywhere and her feet were shuffling, as if she wanted nothing more to run away, just like Veronica did. Clearly, the girl was just as unfamiliar with this place as she was. Not only that but, although Veronica couldn't remember her exact clothes, she could remember they were expensive looking, meaning she would never be from a place like that. In fact, she was surprised the girl hadn't been mugged already._

_Veronica was torn because she was always taught to never talk to strangers, but also, something drew her to this lonely girl. It was like an invisible rope, pulling her closer, so strong that she simply couldn't resist. She just had to talk with this stunning girl with the golden hair. Veronica took a deep breath and slowly made her way over. The girl looked up and frowned at Veronica approaching, but she didn't run away. She did take a step back however. Veronica gave a bright smile and stood up straight, like she was always taught to do when meeting new people._

_"Hello, my name is Ronnie, what's yours?" Veronica greeted brightly._

_She decided to use her nickname rather than her full name, because he felt like Ronnie suited her better. She thought maybe she should change it, as Ronnie was much cooler that Veronica. Besides, Veronica kind of sounded like Veruca, as many of the boys had mocked._

_The girl replied with her name but Veronica for the life of her, could not remember what it was. Absolutely nothing came to her. It was as if she blacked for a second, just as the girl said her name. Of course, she hadn't blacked out, but for some reason her stupid brain had completely forgotten it._

_"That's a pretty name," Veronica said in awe, "you're very pretty too!"_

_The girl scoffed but there was a hint of a blush on her cheeks. The corners of her lips turned up ever so slightly but she turned away to hide it. Veronica's smile grew even wider and she giggled. At this, the girl turned around and gazed deeply into Veronica's eyes and Veronica felt something she had never felt before. It was warm and comforting and Veronica prayed that feeling would never leave. It was like someone had come and wrapped around her like a blanket, making her feel safe and secure, as if she was invincible._

_Veronica wasn't sure what exactly caused this emotion, but she assumed maybe it was because she had given a compliment. Her mother always told her that giving compliments made you feel good. Deep down, however, Veronica knew with was caused by more than that._

_The girl gave a small smile and spoke the words that had been engrained deep in Veronica's mind ever since. She may have forgotten what the girl looked like but she'd never forget what she said._

_"You're beautiful,"_

_Veronica felt her breath catch in her throat and that feeling that was there before intensified dramatically. She was convinced that if she stayed in this girl's presence any longer she may just faint. It was her favourite word and instead of her using it to describe things, it was used to describe her. The word felt even more perfect now._

_It was just like with Heather, saying one thing, one simple thing that probably didn't mean anything. Anyone else would accept it and most likely forget it, but not Veronica. Not with this girl and not with Heather. It felt too special, too real._

_Veronica didn't know what to say, so she just gave a goofy smile and stared into the girls eyes._

_What was the colour of those eyes? They were stunning, that's all she knew, but she wished she could have remembered. Why was it only that hair and that scrunchie that seemed to stay in her mind? Sure, her hair was amazing, and the scrunchie was very stylish, but they weren't anything incredible, they werent something that Veronica should have remembered clearly for 11 years._

_They began talking for what seemed like hours. Veronica found out that the girl's favourite colour was red, just like her scrunchie. She also found out that the girl lived in a big house in somewhere called Ohio. Veronica didn't know where or what Ohio was, but if this girl lived there, it must have been the coolest place in the world. Veronica told the girl that her favourite colour was blue, and that she lived in a different place. She said that after running for ages, she found this place._

_Veronica began to ramble about how amazing running in meadow had been, which got a cute giggle out of the girl. It wasn't malicious or anything, the girl explained how she had just never felt that way before about a dirty meadow._

_Veronica promised that one day they'd both go running in the nicest meadows for hours. She suggested they could in fact go and do it now._

_At this, the girl gave a small cough and suddenly had a sad look on her face. She explained to Veronica that she had to leave and they probably wouldn't see eachother again. The girl said that Ohio was really far away and they had no way to contact eachother._

_The feeling Veronica had was quickly lost and replaced with a feeling of deep sadness. It was the same feeling she got when she found out her cat had run away, or when she was called ugly by James. It was like a knife through her heart, and she wanted it to go away quickly. She wanted the warm fuzzy feeling back. Where had it gone? Maybe if she stayed with the girl, she'd get the feeling back. She contemplated running away with her, but then realised that Betty would be sad. She loved Betty to bits, but it wasn't the same._

_Jesus Christ, she was three fucking years old and she was already going through all these emotions. It was extremely overwhelming, and Veronica just wanted to go back to being happy and sad. Just happy and sad. Nothing else. Happy was easy to understand and so was sad, not whatever this was._

_Watching the girl leave was like someone was twisting that knife that had been stabbed into her heart, slow, painful and extremely damaging. The girl waved at Veronica for a while, a pained expression on her face, but eventually she actually left. For good. Veronica stood there, motionless, for a good few minutes. She recollected her thoughts and sighed._

_'You're beautiful'._

_The words repeated over and over again, the girls soft, sweet voice echoing in her head. Every time she remembered those words, she felt happy and then sad because she's never hear them again. She stood for a while, hoping maybe that the girl would come back and they'd stay together forever and they'd make everything beautiful._

_Veronica eventually accepted that she also had to leave, Betty would be absolutely furious. She decided not to tell Betty about her experience, the pretty girl with blonde hair could be her special little thing. Something that would stick with her forever, hopefully._

_Veronica turned and shuffled away, her feet dragging depressively along the concrete and her head bowed._

_Her life moved on, she met knew people, she did new things, she had new dreams. She grew up._

_She eventually forgot about the girl._

_But she never truly got over her._

**____________________________________________**

  
It was all coming back to Veronica now, and she wasn't happy about it. That was so long ago, when she felt like appreciation was necessary, which it wasn't. She now believed that the only thing necessary was hard work. Sure, completely plunging herself into her work meant she had little to no social life but hey, who needs a social life?

Although...that feeling, appreciation, it was pretty nice, she had to admit. She felt lighter than air, as if she may just float away.

"Hey, Earth to Sawyer, you fucking dead or something?" Heather barked, snapping Veronica from her thoughts.

_Jesus, how long was I spacing out for?_

"S- sorry, I was lost in my thoughts," Veronica stuttered, pushing up her glasses, "thank you for saying that,"

"Saying what?"

"Calling me fierce and saying it's a cool side of me, or whatever,"

Heather scoffed but her cheeks were ever so slightly tinted red "it didn't mean anything, don't get all soppy on me,"

Veronica still couldn't believe it. Heather Chandler, the biggest bitch in Sherwood, Ohio, can be _nice_? Sure, it wasn't an absolutely wonderful compliment, it was simple and generic, and quite frankly, she probably didn't mean anything by it, but nevertheless, it shook Veronica to the core. Maybe it was due to the fact that she hadn't been complimented in a long time or maybe it was because it came from _Heather o_ f all people, but it didn't matter. Veronica appreciated it and that was all there was to it.

"So..." Veronica said, biting her lip, "I've been doing some thinking,"

Heather raised an eyebrow and nodded, signalling for her to continue.

"You've seen one of my lessons, so how about I see one of yours?"

Heather thought for a moment, her chin in her hand, tapping her index finger on her deep red lips. After a moment, she smirked and shrugged, "sure why not?"

Veronica breathed a sigh if relief, maybe they _would_ be able to agree on things. Now, they just needed to discuss and plan and they'd be all set. Veronica was about to give some suggestions before Heather spoke up again.

"How about now? I have a lesson in 5 minutes," 

Veronica almost choked. "now? But I haven't prepared, I don't have any idea what to look out for, I don't even know what you're teaching!"

"I'm teaching division, happy now?" 

Veronica shook her head in disbelief. "I haven't prepared!" She repeated desperately.

Heather shrugged, unaffected, "you think I was prepared for your lesson? Fuck, no!"

"But, Chandler..." Veronica pleaded, sighing. Heather silenced her by putting a finger on her lips. 

"Shut up, stop being a pillowcase. You have a free period, I know that, so you have spare time! Let's go," she commanded, strutting off down the hallway, her hips swaying in a rapid motion. Veronica shook her head and followed after her.

Heather walked decidedly quickly, and that including her long legs meant that Veronica had a hard time keeping up. It's not that she was short, she wasn't by any means, but she really couldn't not walk that fast. Veronica studied the way Heather swayed her hips, and swung her arms slightly as she strutted. Her back was arched and her shoulders were squared in an attempt to assert confidence. She held her head high and looked down upon any peasants who had the misfortune to come her way. 

It seems that despite the mutual dislike of Heather that the occupants of Westerberg shared, everyone practically worshipped her. If there was anyone in her way, they would leap out of the way as if she would destroy them, despite there being a completely clear hallway. Not only that, but every moning, she seemed to have both teachers and srudents handing her coffee. Veronica wasnt bitter about that, not at all, she _loved_ having to wait for ages at the coffee machine whilst Sweaty Steve perved on her.

Veronica took pride in the fact that she had far too much self respect to ever worship Heather Chandler. She didn't deserve it, if she wanted to be worshipped, she had to earn it by working hard. Not by getting lucky with genes and scaring people.

Veronica would only worship Heather if she proved herself, and by the way things were going, that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

Sure, Heather was nice before, and veronica felt especially good about herself for it, Heather was still on her bad list. The amount of negative things she had done greatly outweighed the positives. She was still selfish, greedy, manipulative and spoilt, but it was good to know she did have a soul. Sure, it was very _very_ deep down, and it wasn't much of a soul, it it was a soul nonetheless.

After a good few minutes of walking (speed walking for Veronica) they came to an abrupt halt at Heather's classroom. No students were there yet, so they entered without any interruptions. Heather made her way over to her desk and slumped into her chair, being to tap away at the keyboard. Veronica stood awkwardly, shuffling her feet, unsure of what to do. After a few moments of her continuing to shuffle her feet and Heather completely blanking her, Veronica opted to pull up a chair and sit down. 

It was a pretty uncomfortable chair as far as chairs go, but that was the least of her worries. The most of her worries was that she had to watch one of Heather's lesson when she was completely unprepared, unaware, and slightly terrified. Maths wasn't English. Maths was the exact opposite of English. She loved English, she could do English, she knew English like the back of her hand. Maths, however, was her least favourite thing in the world, except for Heather Chandler and brussel sprouts. 

Making the most of her current situation, Veronica grabbed a loose sheet of paper and a chewed, blue biro. She scribbled down some notes on the general decor of the classroom, which was decidedly bland. There wasn't a single poster, picture, drawing, help sheet, nothing, the walls were as bare as could be. Veronica wasn't designer of the year or anything, but she could decorate better than this. Although, if Heather couldn't even make an effort in her actual teaching, she would never go above an beyond with her classroom. 

_Add some decoration_ she scribbled, as Heather continued to type away. 

Baby steps, baby steps.

Veronica vaguely wondered what she was typing so aggressively about, but quickly dismissed it. She had to get as many notes down ad possible, to prove to Principal Flemming that she was a great teacher who cared about her students, and was far better than a certain red-clad maths teacher.

The bell made her jump slightly and drop her pen. The disturbance caused Heather to turn around, scoff and roll her eyes, and then back around again. Veronica pulled a face and retrieved her pen.

Students filed into the room shortly afterwards. They sent a few questioning glances Veronica's way, but nothing more than that. Once they had sat down, a few began to whisper. The whispers grew to mutters, the mutter sgrew to normal voices, until eventually, the room was in utter chaos. Veronica panicked and was about to win something when a deafening voice came over the noise.

" _Sit down_!" Heather shouted in a booming voice, causing everyone to instantly obey. Every single person in the room went dead silent and focused their gaze completely on Heather. It was surreal to say the least.

Veronica wrote _Is amazing at getting students' attention. Holy shit_. 

Maybe she seriously underestimated Heather, so far she was seeming like a great teacher, why on earth were people shitting on her all the time? Perhaps the fact that's he practically roared at them caused their dislike for her, but the people who insulted her seemed to think she was generally a shitty teacher. Veronica wondered what on earth was wrong with her teaching.

**____________________________________________**

  
She soon found out.

Heather may have been fantastic at controlling the class, but she was horrific at actually teaching. Her lesson was so boring, it was taking all of Veronica's willpower to not fall asleep. Heather repeated the exact same thing at least 5 times, and then proceeded to explain it another 5 times. I got the fact that 80 X 15 is 1200 the first time, thank you very much. 

Veronica felt her eyelids begin to droop involuntarily and her head suddenly felt as heavy as a bowling ball. She opted to pinch herself every time she felt herself drifting off, but it had stopped working ages ago. Veronica scanned the room and it seemed everyone else was having the same issue, one not even full on sleeping. He wasn't trying to hide it, just flat out snoring. Veronica had major respect for him.

"Hey!" Heather bellowed, causing Veronica to jolt up, suddenly wide awake, "Miss Sawyer, what do you think you're doing?"

Veronica's mouth hung open dumbly, and she just sort of shrugged helplessly. Heather cocked her head to the side and frowned.

"Well, please don't fall asleep in my lesson," she huffed dramatically, "it's very rude of you,"

A couple of students sniggered at Veronica's stunned expression. Heather scoffed, spun around, and continued with her lesson. Veronica frowned and begun to scribble on her paper once more.

 _Very rude_.

Veronica was wrong to think Heather Chandler could ever be nice, as she was the one with the boring lesson yet she scolded Veronica like she was some child because of it? Bullshit.

Veronica summed until the end of the lesson, refusing to participate or even make eye contact with Heather.

A small part of her brain was going _But to be fair, you were about to fall asleep in her lesson, which is kind of rude_. Veronica instantly dismissed that part of her brain and internally flipped it off.

Veronica was in the right here and she knew it. 

The students rushed out the classroom at the speed of light, not caring is they knocked anything over. Soon the from was empty except for a relieved Veronica and a proud Heather. She placed down her books and marched over to Veronica. She had a sickeningly smug smile plastered on her face as she placed a hand on her hips. She looked like she was waiting for Veronica to say something, but when there was nothing, she rolled her eyes.

"Well? How did it go? Great right?"

"Uh...actually-"

"Yep, amazing, I know. See, you acting like you're better than me when-"

"Chandler, please-"

"-Actually we are just as good as eachother, aren't we? In fact, I'd go as far to say I'm better than you,"

Veronica gulped and prepared herself. If she could stand up to Heather before, she could do it now. 

_She has no right to say those things to you, especially when they are blantatly not true so just fight back. Tell her your opinions._

"Listen, Chandler, I have some- uh- feedback..." Veronica said, rubbing the back of her neck and looking away. She didn't even have to see Heather's face to know she was sneering.

"Feedback?" She scoffed, "I don't need feedback, honey, my lesson was perfect!"

Veronica coughed, "Well, I mean..."

Heather raised an eyebrow and glared, daring veronica to continue. Veronica bit her lip and contemplated whether she actually should give proper feedback. To be fair, she was getting on a little bit better with Heather now, to go and insult her would ruin things. She couldn't go back to he stage where they couldn't even bee in the same room together. And in addition, Principal Flemming wanted them to work together, and if they want to get this done, they need to be able to at least talk to eachother.

On the other hand, Veronica was someone who was strong and stubborn, someone who refused to be bullied by the likes of Heather Chandler. If she just accepted defeat and shut up, she'd be letting her win. She had to show Heather that not everyone is a pushover.

Even if that makes her a dead girl walking.

"Actually, Chandler, you're amazing at controlling a class. However, youre not very engaging..." 

Heather made a face. Veronica continued.

"I could see that the students are bored and I personally believe that they weren't retaining any information. This really is not beneficial to their education. I have a few ideas..."

"Take your ideas and shove them up your asshole," Heather barked maliciously, causing Veronica to recoil, "you're just jealous!"

"Jealous?" Veronica repeated incredulously, "you're a shit teacher!"

Veronica didn't mean to snap, and maybe that was slightly harsh, but Heather Chandler knew exactly how to push all her buttons. Heather said she liked feisty, oh she was going to get feisty.

"You think you're the shit, but you're not, Ok? Not only that but you aren't willing to improve at all! It's sad and pathetic, Chandler. I thought you were ok but it turns out I was wrong. I was willing to give you a chance!"

"Oh don't give me all that self-righteous bullshit," Chandler said through gritted teeth, "everyone knows that you think you're better than everyone else, so you're being super hypocritical right now,"

Veronica shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. This was literally like dealing with a child, and Veronica hated children. Heather continued to rant for a little while longer, but Veronica tuned it out.

Heather showed a slight change in personality for a second and now she was in full bitch mode. One minute, she was making Veronica feel good about herself, now she's putting Veronica in a shitty mood. At this point Veronica wasn't even bothered about Principal Flemming, or Heather, or this dumb working together thing, she just wanted to go home. Home to her cat and her sofa and her warm, safe, isolated area, where there were no annoying bitches or nagging bosses. 

"You're not even fucking listening, are you?" Chandler sighed, exasperated. Veronica looked away and wrinkled her nose up.

"Listen, Sawyer, I know I'm a good teacher. I know that I'm a whole lot better than you. Get out of my classroom"

Veronica didn't need to be told twice. She silently handed Heather her clipboard and scurried out of the classroom. Heather didn't even look at her as she left.

Once Veronica was outside, she rested her back against the door and sighed. She rubbed her face and ran a hand through her hair. They were literally going 1 step forward and 2 steps back, they weren't going to get anywhere at this rate.

Veronica began to make her way down the hallway, gathering herself and trying to keep her head held high. That may have been a shitty lesson, but it didn't have to ruin her whole day. She could go and speak to JD, maybe apologise for snapping at him earlier, maybe arrange a time they could go out for coffee.

That significantly raised Veronica's spirits and she found a new bounce in her step.

Although she felt better she found herself remembering that feeling from a few hours ago. This feeling was absolutely nothing like that. How could Heather Chandler make her feel so happy at one time and then so fucking angry at other times? And _why_ Did she make her feel like that? If you're going to be mean, at least be consistent about it. Don't trick people into thinking you're bad, turn out to be not completely evil, and then go back to being bad, it just gets poor people like Veronica running in circles, desperately trying to figure you out. She was far too busy for this. Ok she wasn't, but it still pissed her off.

Heather was more of an enigma than JD and Veronica found herself wondering if she would ever understand her. At this point all she knew was that Heather had a lot authority, liked to raise her voice, thought she was amazing, was shit at actually teaching, and that she gave Veroncia serious emotional whiplash. It was draining to say the least but also...kind of exhilarating? It seemed impossible and quite frankly stupid, but she couldn't deny it.

Veronica ran a hand through her messt hair and sighed. She still had her whole policy of not judging someone until you truly know them, but she felt like she knew Heather well enough to make a decision on her. It was an easy decision.

Heather Chandler was a handful, and she was an absolute mythic bitch, but there was something there, something deep inside, that she hid under layers of shittiness. For some insane reason, Veronica felt like she would be able to take that thing and bring it out, like she would be able to reform Heather Chandler. It seemed like a long shot, and really, Heather was a lost case, but still, Veronica persisted with the thought. She had seen something before, a brand new side to Heather, that nobody had seen before.

If Veronica just got involved, maybe showed Heather the error of her ways, she could bring this side out more. She wasn't a lost case. She couldn't be a lost case. Veronica had seen it.

There was hope, Veronica knew it.

**____________________________________________**

Veronica knocked anxiously on Principal Flemming's office door as students whizzed past her. It was the start of the school day, and really she should be planning or marking, but there was just something she had to sort out.

It had happened the day before, just after Veronica had made her decision about Heather...  
  
**____________________________________________**

  
Once Veronica had decided that she would be able to help Heather be better person, she made her way towards the front doors. The school was deserted as the day was over, so luckily she would be uninterrupted. Or so she thought.

Just as she was close to the exit, none other than Heather Chandler sauntered around the corner. She faltered at the sight of Veronica and then glared viciously. Veronica flinched and shuffled her feet nervously, internally debating whether she should try and smooth things over or not. On the one hand, she was literally just thinking she could help Heather, but on the other hand, Heather was like a lion and Veronica really didn't want her to bite.

She was saved from any decision making by Heather making her way over to Veronica. Veronica internally decided what the hell she was going to say. She couldn't just apologise because she hadn't actually done anything wrong, but she also couldn't blame Heather because that would make things a whole lot worse. Heather liked it when Veronica was confident before though, so maybe she'd like it again?

Veronica eventually decided to just see how Heather was going to approach it and work with that.

"Sawyer," Hetaher barked, "A word,"

 _So formal_ Veronica thought, frowning.

"I didn't really appreciate how you acted after my lesson earlier," Heather stated, her hands on her hips. Her steely gaze bore into Veronica, causing the blue girl to flush.

"But, Chandler," Veronica protested weakly, "I was just giving advice like you did with me-"

"Shut up"

Veronica closed her mouth and stood up straight, hanging on to Heathers every word. 

"I don't need your 'advice', Sawyer. I didn't ask you to stalk me,"

Veronica wanted to explain that she wasn't stalking Heather, but she was smart enough to know that that was practically like having a death wish. She just looked away, her face completely neutral. Just let Heather rant and then she'll leave you alone.

"You're a bitch if I'm being honest," Heather spat, "and I really don't care about what you have to say. You are nothing compared to me, you're worthless. So do me a favour and stay out of it,"

Heather spun on her heel and stomped out of the room. Veronica stood as still as a statue, her eyes staying focused on the floor. She let out a shaky breath. Heather had really ripped into her with absolutely no mercy. She supposed that was the wrath of the Demon Queen, and she had just experienced it for the first time. It shook her to her core.

That was it, fuck this bullshit. All her previous thoughts of Heather were out the window, now Veronica knew that Heather was a cold, heartless bitch and she would not put up with this anymore.  
She was going to Principal Flemming and she was asking for her and Heather to stop working together. She just could not take this anymore.

**____________________________________________**

  
And that's how she needed up here, stood outside Principal Flemmings office, absentmindedly tapping her foot and twiddling her thumbs. She sighed, pushed up her glasses, and decided to just go in. 

Slowly pushing open the door, Veronica peeped in to make sure Flemming wasn't naked or anything. She wasn't.

She was sat at her desk ranting to someone on the phone.

"Steve, I'm ending our affair!" She barked, slamming a fist on the table, "and I faked it, every single time,"

Veronica almost choked, causing Flemming to snap her head up. She noticed Veronica and gasped, before slamming her phone down. She plastered that fake smile on her face and gave Veronica a very patronising look. She gestured to the seat in front of the desk, which Veronica sat down in. There was an awkward silence for a bit before Veronica gulped and just went for it.

"Principal Flemming, I know you wanted me to help Heather, and really, I wanted to as well. I truly believed she could be a good person, but she can't! She's evil, pure evil, and I won't stand for it anymore!" 

Veroncias voice was filled with a severely unfamiliar confidence, which seemed to shock Flemming. She quickly regained her composure, however, and smiled again. She gave a small cough and took a deep breath.

"Miss Sawyer," she began calmly,"we really must be mature about this-"

"Mature?!" Veroncia repeated incredulously, "I _am_ being mature! She's the one who not being mature and I'm sick of it!"

"Miss Sawyer," Flemming said again but more firmly, "you're being dramatic-"

"Dramatic?! How am I being dramatic?"

"Miss Sawyer, calm down!"

"You don't understand, Principal Flemming, she's insufferable!"

" _Veronica!_ " Flemming shouted, banging her palms on the table and leaning forwards intimidatingly.

Veroncia shut up immediately and waited expectantly for Flemming to proceed.

Flemming sighed, closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, hugging herself. She sat in deep contemplation for a good few moments, not saying a word. The only sound audible was the old clock on the far wall, ticking away. It was driving Veronica insane. Flemming eventually tucked her frizzy brown hair behind her ear and looked Veronica in the eye.

"You will stick with Miss Chandler,". It wasn't up for debate.

"But, Principal Flemming-"

"You will stick with Miss Chandler," she repeated, louder, "Or else you're fired,"

The words hit Veroncia like a brick wall to the face. Fired? For refusing to put up with a nasty, bullying, evil bitch? Surely this was just some sort of prank, there would be cameras and everyone would laugh and them she'd be free from Heather. But there was no cameras, no laughter, no freedom. She just sat there, totally helpless.

"You- you can't do that!" Veronica pleaded breathlessly, "you can't!"

"Watch me," Flemming said, not a trace of emotion on her face.

Veronica had never seen her like this, normally she was carefree and lively, now she wasn't putting up with _anyone's_ shit. This was the dark side of Principal Flemming and it was scary as hell. Veronica knew this was a lost battle, so she simply nodded, got up from her chair, and left the room.

It was her job or Heather. Clearly, her and Heather would just have to get along, as Veronica had tried absolutely every other option. They were stuck with eachother, whether they liked it or not. 

Veronica just hoped Heather would be a little nicer. Just a little bit nicer.

Veronica remembered the girl with the scrunchie, calling her beautiful, and making her feel things that were absolutely amazing. She then remembered again that Heather had made her feel the same way that one time. She hated Heather just a little bit less.

  
**____________________________________________**

Veronica sat in complete boredom, listening to the air conditioning rumble. She hasn't seen Archie in a very long time as he had avoided her since he opened up, and so Veronica had found herself decidedly lonely she tapped the pen on her desk, unsuccessfully attempting to create a distraction.

Veronica desperately wanted to tell someone about Archie's situation, and really, she was obligated to. However, Archie's round, sad eyes on the brink of tears stopped her from picking up the phone. Maybe she could bend the rules just this once. She'd have to Archie and ask him how the whole contacting a professional thing was coming along. 

Archie dad wouldn't actually hit him, would he? Dread formed a pit in her stomach as she wondered about the possibilities of what could happen. She really needed to tell someone but she promised Archie...and the Authorities probably wouldn't even take it seriously. Kids were being bullied and assaulted, and all the staff can think about is coffee and gossip. It was quite possible that Veronica was the only one who could help Archie.

Deciding that if he hadn't contacted anyone yet she would talk to the authorities, Veronica dropped the pen and got out of her seat.

She went over to the board and scribbled some stuff for the next lesson, her mind in another place entirely.

God, why had her life suddenly become so difficult?

The chalk scraped along the blackboard, sending shivers down Veronicas spine. Maybe one day they'd invent something that you could write on that wouldn't make such a horrific noise. 

The sound of the door creaking open pulled her from her thoughts. Veronica turned to see a sheepish looking Hetaher Chandler, staring at the floor. Her hunched shoulders and bowed head was a drastic contrast to her usual squared shoulders, straight back and raised chin. She looked almost vulnerable, which Veronica never knew was possible.

Heather silently closed the door behind her and rested her back on it. She raised her head to look into Veronicas eyes. Her face portrayed no emotion, just a blank stare. She had never been harder to read, and that was an achievement.

"...Can I help you?" Veronica asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow and stepping away from the blackboard.

Heather sighed and bit her lip. She gently tapped her foot against the carpet before standing up straight and glaring Veronica in the eye.

"I'm sorry,"

Her voice was so monotone, she sounded like a robot. She continued to glare at Veronica, unblinking.

"You- You what?" Veronica said, frowning. Hetaher Chandler couldnt actually be apologising, could she?

"I said I'm sorry," Hetaher repeated, still no emotions in her voice, body language, or facial expression, "Flemming told me to apologise to you...so here I am. Don't make me say it again,"

Veronica knew it wasn't genuine, not by a long shot, and Hetaher clearly wasn't happy about it, but she'll take what she can get. If this meant that her and Hetaher could finally be civil and stop getting into petty arguments with petty insults, then she would take it in a heartbeat.

She gave Hetaher a reassuring smile and nodded. Heather nodded back and looked away. A tense, awkward silence fell upon them, neither knowing quite what to say.

Veronica was about to break the silence when she realised that she was always the one to break the silence, she should let Hetaher do something for once. Heather relied that it was up to her to salvage the situation, and contemplated what she was going to say.

Luckily for both of them, students began to enter the room. They looked quizzically at Hetaher and then Veronica, some even asked what she was doing there. Veronica shook her head and turned back to the board, trying to drown out the chatter. She needed to get into the right headspace in order to teach, and all these teenagers gossiping really wasn't helping.

The chatter grew louder. It was becoming insufferable, Veronica couldnt even hear herself think.  
However she coyld hear her name as well as Heathers come up a few times.

"Why is _she_ here?"

"I thought they despised eachother?"

"Come to think of it, they've been spending quite a bit of time together haven't they?"

"Yeah, and they seemed to be talking when we came in!"

"Wait, do you think they....?"

Veronica was extremely confused ad to what the hell they were on about, and decided she had most likely misheard.

Heather decided that she was done here and went to leave the room. Veronica couldn't blame her. She attempted to calm the class down but it was to no avail. The noise just grew and students were even standing up now. Veronica wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but she wasn't putting up with it. She raised her voice and commanded everyone to stop. A few people looked at her, and then continued on with their conversation.

Veronica was about to shout once more when a deafening voice came from the doorway.

Heather yelled, " _Shut up_!" so loud, Veronica suspected that her ear drums had burst.

The room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. A few students looked shocked, a few looked petrified, and a few looked a little pissed off that Hetaher had interrupted them, but they didn't dare say a word.

Veronica blinked, wide eyed. She glanced over at Heather and gave a small nod of appreciation. Heather gazed at veronica for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face, before turning around and swiftly walking out the door.

Everybody turned to Veronica expectantly. She wasn't quite sure how to follow after that, but decided that the best course of action was to pretend it never happened.

"Alright folks," she said brightly, giving a wide, unconvincing smile,"let's do some Shakespeare!"

**____________________________________________**

  
"Greetings and Salutations!" Came a deep voice from the doorway.

Veronica spun round all too excitedly to see a grinning Jason Dean leaning against the door frame. He ran a hand through his hair and Veronica felt her heart melt.

"JD," she said, trying to keep her cool, "what brings you here?"

God, that made her sound like such a loser. ' _what brings you here_?', come on, Veronica.

JD laughed warmly and sauntered over to where Veronica was sat. He towered over her intimidatingly, causing Veronica to blush. He definitely noticed this and his grin grew wider.

"Well, Veronica, about that whole going out thing-"

He was interrupted by the door opening once more. They both turned to see Hetaher stood, hands on her hips, glaring daggers at JD. JD's expression turned dark and he squared his shoulders. 

Veronica, sensing the tension and possible drama that was about to ensue, decided to intervene.

"Chandler, what's up?" 

Hetaher looked at Veronica and her expression turned from sour to neutral. Veronica was flattered.

"Flemming wants us in her office pronto, so let's motor," she said, gesturing for Veronica to follow her.

"Hey, Chandler," JD snarled, stepping closer to Veronica, "we're kinda in the middle of a conversation here,"

"Yeah I kinda don't care," Heather replied, shrugging, causing JD to go red with rage, "Veronica, hurry up,"

Veronica was conflicted. She could side with JD and feel the wrath of Heather Chandler. Shed ready experienced it and it wasn't pleasant at all. However, she could side with Heather and possibly ruin her chances with JD. Of course, she could do nothing but that would end up in a fight between JD and Heather, which, although it would have been entertaining, would be an absolute catastrophe. 

Veronica gulped. "I'll see you later, JD,". 

JD looked both hurt and bewildered at Veronicas decision. She felt so guilty that she had to keep her eyes focused on Heather, who had a smug, shit-eating grin on her perfect face. The bright red lipstick made her pearly white teeth stand out from a mile away. It was gorgeous and terrifying, which was Hetaher Chandler in a nutshell. Veronica slowly got up from her chair, still refusing to make eye contact with JD, his trenchcoat more limp than ever. 

Heathers smile only grew wider, and she seemed absolutely delighted that Veronic what obeyed her over JD. As they walked, Veronica took this time to reflect over her decision.

Why and she chosen to go with Hetaher.

She kept telling herself that it was because she was too scared to disobey Flemming, but to be honest, Flemming wouldn't really do anything. She should have stuck up for JD and rejected Heather, and all of her was screaming at her to do so, but she just...didn't. Something made her obey, something made her leave a poor, stunned JD behind, something made her submit to Heather.

She just had to figure out what that something was.

Veronica contemplated running back to JD, but her legs just kept walking. 

Veronica took a deep breath and focused. She could think about her strange choices later, right now, she and to deal with Hetaher and Flemming once again. Oh boy.

Heather Cleared her throat and glanced at Veronica, "so, what happened over there?"

Veronica frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

Heather gave a soft laugh and shook her head, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world,"I mean back in the classroom. You didn't bow down to greasy trenchcoat weirdo, don't wanna suck his dick anymore?"

Veronica almost choked, going bright red. She regained her composure and looked towards a hysterical Hetaher. Veronica was glad Hetaher was enjoying her suffering. 

"It's- It's not like that! I don't....we aren't...it's not..." Veronica stuttered, stumbling over her words.

Her and JD weren't together or anything, we're they? Oh god, was she so inexperienced that she didn't even know how people get together? Probably not, they weren't together. She just....appreciated his looks, is all. Although, she also appreciated Hetahers looks. Her breathtaking golden curls, her sparkling blue eyes, her rosy cheeks, her light freckles dotted on her nose and cheeks, the way she cocked her head when she was confused. But that wasn't in like...a romantic way. Veronica was straight, totally, and she liked JD. And besides, what Heather had in looks, she severely lacked din personality. She was high maintenance to say the least.

Why was she even thinking about this? She had a teasing Heather Cahndler to deal with. 

"Listen," Veronica said seriously, "Me and JD aren't a thing. He's...good looking-"

Hetaher scoffed.

"-but we aren't together. So please don't say things like that,"

Hetaher raised an eyebrow mockingly,"alright, it was only a joke, don't get your panties in a twist,"

"I'm serious, Chandler, it makes me really uncomfortable,"

Heather paused and turned to Veronica, a neutral expression on her face. Veroncia thoughts she was going to fight back but she just drugged, muttered a quiet "sure", and then continued on her way.

Veronica was bewildered, Heather Cabndler had actually done what veronica had said. She mentally put the little interaction into the "times when Hetaher wasn't a total bitch" section. It was pretty empty, but there was some stuff in there.

They walked for a few more minutes in relatively comfortable silence. Eventually, they reached Principal Flemming's door, and stood silently for a second. 

"What do you think it's about?" Veronica asked.

Hetaher shrugged, "no clue. Probably just to have a go at me again,"

Veronica raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet. She was secretly hoping that Principal Flemming had called for them to tell them they didn't need to work together anymore. They could stay out of each others ways and get on with their lives in peace. Veronica knew it wouldn't be that, she wasn't that lucky, but she still hoped. She was sure that Heather was thinking the same by the thoughtful look on her face. This dislike was anything but one-sided.

Heather forcefully swung open the door to reveal Principal Flemming dancing to a song on her Walkman. Veroncia snorted and Hetaher grimaced at the awkwardness. Flemming noticed them and immediately put down the Salman, her cheeks turning pink. She coughed and sag back down at her desk, looking very professional. Clearly this was one of those incidents that were never spoken of again. Veroncia didn't fancy bringing it up again anyway, she wanted to remove the image of Flemming shaking her hips clean out of her mind. That was the stuff of nightmares.

Heather and Veronica both wordlessly took a seat, apprehensive and suspicious. Flemming looked at them both, clearly making a decision. Veronica had an awful doing that this would be a decision that she would hate dearly. Eventually, Flemming sighed and leaned back.

"I've been having a little think, girls..." She stated, eyes darting between the two. 

"That doesn't sound good," Hetaher piped up, raising an eyebrow. 

Veronica nodded in agreement, that sounded very concerning indeed. Whenever Principal Flemming had an idea, it usually turned out shit for Veronica, and she was about at the end of her tether.

"Well," Flemming began, "seeing as you two work so well together..."

Was she serious? Veronica resisted the urge to laugh, but clearly Hetaher did have as much restraint. She was full on roaring with laughter, her head thrown back, which made Flemming practically fall of her chair. Veronica smirked at the sight, seeing Heather's reaction made her seem a little bit more human. Eventually Heather's laughter died down and she settled back into her chair. Flemming took this as a signal to continue.

"I was thinking that you two could possibly...work together even more?"

"No. Nope. No no no absolutely not," Veronica refused, standing up from her chair. Heather looked even more shocked than Flemming at Veronicas reaction.

"Miss Sawyer, please..." Flemming attempted calmly, a pleading tone to her voice. Veronica wouldn't give in.

"We already work together enough and you want us to work together even _m_ _ore?_ l I can't take it!" Veroncia voice was raised so much she was practically shouting now. Usually she would be concerned about how she looked in that moment, but she didn't care now. She refused to spend even more time with Heather.

"You can't take it?" Heather said disbelievingly, "what the fuck is that supposed to mean?!"

Heather had launched up from her chair and was level with Veroncia. Her face was almost as red as her blazer, her golden hair a stark contrast. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously an she's lips were in a frightening snarl. She looked terrifying and Veronica lost her confidence for a moment. However, it all came back when she realised how horrible Heather had been.

"Heather, you're insufferable! I mean really, you think I _enjoy_ being around you? I hate you!" Veronica snapped, leaning in to Heather. 

Veronica swore she was dreaming, because somehow, Heather looked incredibly hurt by that. Her eyes widened and her face went slack. Veronica faltered and took a step back. She felt a pang in her chest and couldn't quite believe she was feeling guilty about _Heather Chandler_.

The room turned deadly silent, Heather still gazing at Veronica with glassy, emotionless eyes, Veronica wishing she could be anywhere else in the world and Flemming not quite knowing what the hell was going on. Veronica decided she really needed to sort this out, seeing as she was kind of he one who caused it. She cleared her throat, snapping Hetaher from her thoughts and causing Flemming to look at her. She chose her words very carefully.

"Listen, Prinicpal Flemming," Veronica said very calmly, "I appreciate that you're trying to do what's best, I really do. And I know that we do have to work together and I accept that. I'm not asking for us to not work together anymore, I'm just asking, no, _pleading_ , please don't make us work together even more than we are. This isn't me being mean, Chandler would agree, we only fight. It's not beneficial at all,"

Flemming looked to be in deep thought, processing Veronicas words. Veronica chanced a look at Heather, who, as expected, was still looking at Veronica. Her expression hadn't changed at all. Veronica wondered why the hell she was so affected by it, did she actually think she wasn't being a bitch? Veronica looked away, she could deal with those consequences later. Flemming's expression softened slightly and she looked at Veronica. Veronica felt hopeful until Flemming looked sympathetic. Whenever she was sympathetic, it meant she was going to explicitly ignore Veronicas wishes. Shit.

"You will be working together more,"

Veronica's face fell. "But, Principal-"

"No buts." Flemming said firmly, "you are not a perfect teacher Miss Sawyer. And neither is Miss Chandler. You both have positives and negatives, and so if you combine your positives, you will most certainly improve,"

Hetaher was staying awfully quiet, reacting only by frowning or something similar. Veronica crossed her arms and summed because she was extremely mature.

"Miss Sawyer you can't control a class, however, you are very engaging,". Flemming gave a smile which Veronica didn't return, "Miss Chandler on the other hand, you aren't very engaging but you can control a class. As you can see, if you combine, you'll be amazing together!"

Heather shrugged half-heartedly and Veronica just sort of grunted. Flemming sighed, realising that was the best she was going to get. God, they were worse than the actual teenagers at that school.  
  
"And so, Miss Sawyer, you will be assisting Miss Chandler in one of her maths lessons. You can decide when and how you do. Im sure you'll do perfectly, and make sure to let me know how it goes!"

 _Oh, joy_ Veronica thought, leaving the office as soon as possible.

__________________________________________

Heather was still refusing to look at her, even as they stood at the school entrance in the freezing cold. It was starting to rain slightly, which sucked because Veronica didn't have a coat, but at least the sound was soothing. The sun was already setting, casting a soft yellow glow over Heather's face which made her bright blue eyes stand out even more. She looked absolutely stunning. They looked at eachother for a few moments, neither making any movement nor noise, just _looking_. Heather actually had a miniscule scar above her top lip which was barely noticeable unless you looked closely. Clearly, she wasn't untouchable.

"Did- did you mean it?" Heather croaked, her voice barely audible. 

Veronica gulped. "Mean what?", she decided playing dumb was the best option here.

"What you said, about you hating me. Like, I know I'm a bitch, but hate is a bit strong...". Heather didn't seem very sure of herself and her voice trailed off.

"I- I mean...yeah. No. Maybe?" Veronica stuttered, "I dont- I don't hate you, I just said it in the heat of the moment. I was angry. But Hetaher, you really do hurt me sometimes. Occasionally you're nice and I think we can be friends, but occasionally you're a real mythic bitch,"

Heathers brow creased and she surveyed Veronica for a moment. She eventually sighed and turned away, looking towards the sun. The light radiated her face as the soft breeze blew her hair out of her face. Veronicas heart began to beat faster as she wondered how on earth Heather would react to that. 

"I'm sorry," Heather whispered, "and I mean it this time. Dont tell _anyone_ though, I dont want anyone to know I actually apologised for something. Or that I cared about what you thought of me,"

Veronica let out a low chuckle and smiled warmly, taking a step closer to Hetaher. Heather turned to face Veronica agina and returned the smile. Veronicas heart beat even faster and she didn't understand why. Heather had given her answer and it wasn't bad, so why was she still nervous. Or...was it not nervousness that made her heart beat?

Veronica felt a blush creep up her cheeks and she averted her gaze whilst she adjusted her glasses. Heathers smile turned affectionate and she cocked her head to the side. That made Veronica even more flustered so she quickly turned away to avoid having to look at Heather at all.

"You wanna go get coffee?" Heather asked nonchalantly, although she also seemed to be a little more nervous.

Veronica swore she must have misheard, but it sounded perfectly clear. Was...Was Heather asking her to go out and get coffee when they were literally fighting a little while ago. God, this girl moved on quickly. Veronica suddenly remembered where she was and that she needed to give Heather an answer. Sure, she'd like to go for coffee and yeah, they did need to talk about this lesson they were apparently doing together, but wouldn't they end up fighting like they always did? Also, this time it would be in public and Veronica wouldn't be able to handle that embarrassment. 

Even if they didn't bicker the whole time, it would be super awkward. Hetaher was just so outgoing and Veronica was just so awkward and introverted that if they actually tried to socialise, it would be absolute shambles. They'd get coffee, sit in absolute silence for a while and then never speak to eachother ever again.

But despite all these doubts, there was something deep down inside of Veronica that was calling out. It was asking her, begging her, to just say yes. Bite the bullet, rip off the plaster, just _go_. It might turn out alright, you might even be _f_ _riends._ What if you pass up this opportunity and then regret it for the rest of your life? This is your chance, just like the girl from your book. Did she hesitate? Hell no. And it got her what she wanted, so what's stopping you? Do it Veronica, do it Veronica, do it Veronica, do it do it do it _do it_ -

"Sure! We can go for coffee,"

Veronica's voice was surprisingly calm seeing as there was a literally was going on in her head. She gave her most genuine smile, trying to seem unphased. Heather smirked in triumph and grabbed her bag and began walking.

"What- where are you going?" Veronica called, causing Heather to whip around.

"For coffee? Like you just agreed to do? Don't back out on me now, Sawyer,". Heather's voice was light and joking, but there was a hint of worry to it.

"No! No of course not, I just didn't realise we were going now,"

"Why not now? It's only 6, and we'll only be a couple of hours depending on how entertaining you are,". Heather made it seem like a challenge, a quest to entertain the great Heather Chandler. Of course, Veronica accepted that challenge.

"Yeah we can absolutely go now, I'll just head inside and get a couple of things," Veronica said, racing inside. 

Holy shit this was actually happening. She was going for coffee with Hetaher and she was not at all prepared, and not only that, she was wearing her boring work clothes whereas Heather was wearing her usual stunning blazer that probably cost more than Veronica's rent. At least she put on deodorant.

She raced into her classroom and almost screamed when she saw a bit with curly blonde hair sat in front of her desk. He turned around and looked up at her in shock. Veronica frowned, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Archie?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right so, I basically got really impatient so I've updated the rest of my pre-written stuff. I've combined chapter 4 with chapter 5 in this one so this is a long ass chapter. Hope that's ok!
> 
> That's me all caught up now. I just couldn't wait to get them up, sorry haha. This is really messy and I'm sorry, but I promise, it'll be more normal with updates from now on. Probably.
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Tumblr: Poshbiscuit


	5. Coffee Shop...Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie faces his troubles, JD makes an appearance and Veronica and Heather get to know eachother.
> 
> TW: vague mention of Child Abuse. There isn't much detail, but just to be safe!

"Archie?"

At this, Archie gave a weak smile and stood up from his chair. Veronica could see that the boy had clearly been crying for while, as his eyes were red and puffy. There were dark bags under his eyes and the usual joyous light radiating from him had gone. Even his curls were less bouncy, and seemed to flop sadly on and round his head. He seemed... lifeless, which deeply pained Veronica. It was such a drastic contrast to what he was usually like, and so she didn't quite know how to take it in.

Veronica swiftly made her way over and gave Archie a tight hug. He couldn't even try to hold it in, he sobbed into her shoulder, not giving a care in the world. Veronica patted his back soothingly, holding him even tighter, as if she could act like some sort of shield to all the horrors of the outside world. All the excitement and nervousness she felt a minute ago about getting coffee with Heather had completely disappeared, and she was left with only sympathy, regret, and anger. The emotions were overwhelming, making her feel like her brain could go into overload, but she didn't let go. She couldn't be selfish.

Archie pulled away from Veronica's grip and sniffled, rubbing his eyes. He sat back down on the chair and looked up at Veronica with teary, green eyes full of pain and sorrow. Veronica's heart ached for the boy, and she wanted to tell him it would be ok, everything would be fine, he could get throughwhatever problems he was facing. Despite this, she didn't say a word. He would speak when he was ready and you couldn't exactly force these things.

"I- I did what you said, Miss," Archie whispered, his voice slightly higher than usual, "I called someone,"

Veronica grinned and her heart beamed with pride, "You did? Oh wow, I'm so proud of you!"

Veronica's face fell when Archie began to cry once more, his head hung low. He hugged himself and curled up into a ball on the chair. His sobs were silent, but Veronica could see that his whole body was violently shaking.

"Archie?" Veronica said, worry seeping into her voice, "what's wrong?"

The blonde looked up, his face a deep shade of red, his eyes wide and attentive. "Nothing happened!" He growled through gritted teeth, his eyes pleading, "I called them, they comforted me, and talked me through it, but nothing changed!"

"What do you mean?" Veronica asked, stepping closer to Archie and crouching down so she was at his height, "what's going on, Arch?"

He bolted up in response, anger and hatred in his face. He curled his fists up into a ball. 

"Nothing changed," he repeated, "my Mom is still dead, my Dad is still horrible, my sister is still traumatised, and I still feel like a worthless piece of shit,"

Veronica sighed and put a hand on Archie's shoulder, who flinched at the action. "Archie," she spoke softly, "has something else happened with your dad?"

The was a long, insufferable moment of silence. Archie's breathing was slow, except for the occasional hiccup due to how much crying he'd done. He stared blankly at the carpet, not even blinking Veronica waited for a response, not tearing her eyes from Archie. His face was conflicted, as if he was choosing between two options that would have drastically different outcomes. Veronica prayed that he chose the right one. She prayed that he would let her in. She prayed that she would be able to help him.

Archie took a deep, shaky breath and gave a sad, broken smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "He did it. He finally did it,". His shoulders sagged and he sobbed even harder than before.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what that was about. Veronica was filled with rage and sadness, she didn't know whether she wanted to scream or cry. Archie saw Veronica's expression and suddenly looked panicked, his eyes widening.

"It- It wasn't that hard, don't worry!" He assured her, sitting up.

Veronica shook her head, feeling her face turn red, "It doesn't matter! He still hit you!"

"I deserved it-"

" _N_ _o_!" Veronica bellowed, causing Archie to jump, "No, it is never your fault. God I should have told the authorities straight away, then none of this would have happened."

"No, Miss Sawyer, I told you not to,"

"And I shouldn't have listened to you. God I'm a terrible teacher,".

Veronica's voice was cracking at every syllable, and if she spoke for much longer, she'd burst into tears. All she wanted to do, all she'd ever wanted to do, was help Archie in anyway she could. Turns out, her stupidity caused him to get hurt. She was the teacher, she was supposed to be responsible and help straight away, but no. She had decided to keep quiet and let a young boy deal with it by himself. 

_How can you even call yourself a teacher?_

She was going to have to tell the authorities as soon as possible. But what would they say to her? She couldn't lie to them, she had to tell them that she knew but didn't tell them. They'd scold her, maybe temporarily suspend her... would they go as far as to _fire_ her? Veronica felt herself tense up as the thought of it consumed her. Where would she go? Would she be able to get another job? What would happen to Archie? Heather would probably find it hilarious and take over the school. They'd just started to sort of get on with eachother and now this would turn their whole world upside down. She'd be a disgrace.

Veronica stopped, took a deep breath, and regained her composure. She couldn't think like that, she _wouldn't_ think like that. And who cares if she got fired, what she needed to focus on now was helping Archie and doing the right thing. If that meant she got fired, then so be it.

Looking at Archie with determination in her face, Veronica stood up from her chair and held a hand out to the confused boy sat before her. He timidly took the hand and also got to his feet. Veronica gave a reassuring smile, making Archie seem to gain some of his confidence.

"Come on, tell them your story," Veronica said, giving a broad smile and letting go of Archie's hand.

Archie nodded in response, not quite knowing what to say. Veronica was about to get on her way when a sound came from behind her. She knew who it was before she even turned around.

Archie frowned and took a wary step back as Heather strutted into the room. She glanced at Archie before resting her gaze on Veronica, a questioning look on her face. 

She arched her brow, "Sawyer, what the Hell are you doing? I've been waiting for, like, ten minutes now, let's motor,"

It wasn't a request, it was a command. Usually, Veronica would drop everything and immediately obey, too scared to ever challenge Heather Chandler. Now though, there was a far more important issue at hand. She had to stand up and be mature she had to fix her mistakes. She had to be a teacher.

"No," Veronica replied simply, breezing past a bewildered Heather, "sorry but I have somewhere to be."

Archie looked between the two, and then quickly trailed after Veronica, who was now marching down the corridor. She pushed her glasses up her nose as Archie attempted to keep up with her fast pace. She heard the distant sound of heels clacking against the floor, suggesting that Heather didn't believe the conversation was quite over. A sharp intake of breath from beside her showed that Archie agreed, bracing himself for an argument.

"Sawyer!" Heather called from behind, struggling to run in those stylish but very uncomfortable heels, "Hey, Sawyer! Wait up!"

Veronica sighed, stopped, and whipped around, mentally preparing herself for Heather's wrath. Ok, maybe she shouldn't have been so rude but she just needed to get this over and done with. Heather could wait.

"Where- Where did you go?" Heather huffed, her face as red as her blazer, "you made me chase after you, you little shit. You understand how bad that looks for me, chasing after someone? I dont chase after people, _they_ chase after _me_."

Her tone was light hearted, showing she wasn't truly serious, but there was a hint of confusion and annoyance behind it. 

_Yep, definitely shouldn't have run away_

"Listen Chandler, I don't fancy fighting-"

"Fighting?" Heather questioned, furrowing her brow, "I'm not gonna fight with you?"

Veronica blinked, "you're...you're not?"

Heather looked offended to say the least. "Obviously not. Oh my God, was that why you were running away?"

"Well, yeah... kind of. That wasn't the only reason, though," Veronica muttered, slowly nodding her head and realising she had severely misread the situation, "I had somewhere to be, with Archie, so I just wanted to sort that out and then deal with the consequences of dismissing you later."

Archie gave a small cough, gaining both girls' attention. He gestured to Principal Flemming's office and gave Veronica a questioning look. Suddenly remembering what she came here for in the first place, she turned her attention to Archie and gave a warm reassuring smile. Heather realised that she wasn't exactly a part of this and walked around the corner, ready to talk to Veronica when this problem had been sorted. Veronica had to give credit to Heather, she could be respectful when she wanted to be.

"Listen, Miss Sawyer, could...could you let me do this by myself?" Archie asked quietly, refusing to make eye contact and rubbing the back of his neck. 

Veronica couldn't hide the concern in her voice as she said, "are you sure?"

Archie gave a small nod. He then looked into Veronica's eyes and gave a more confident nod, his face full of determination. His eyes were bright and full of life, and Veronica felt herself beam with pride. This was the real Archie that everyone knew and loved. 

Archie grinned at her, "I'm sure, Miss. This is something I need to do by myself,"

Giving a small nod, Veronica turned to leave, before she was interrupted again.

"Besides, you have somewhere to be,". 

Archie voice was teasing, and when Veronica turned around, Archie gave a little wink and a thumbs up. Veronica felt her face flush and she briskly walked away. She heard a loud cackle from behind as she turned the corner. Heather was stood there, checking her nails, a bored expression on her face. She glanced at Veronica and a small grin formed on her face. Veronica felt something in her stomach, something that felt like...butterflies?

She quickly dismissed the feeling. She had felt that feeling before...a long time ago.

_The girl. The girl with the red scrunchie._

No. No, absolutely not. She couldn't be getting all nostalgic right now, she had other issues to deal with. The girl with the red scrunchie always seemed to appear in her mind whenever she was talking with Heather for some reason. To be fair, they both do have a very similar, very strange effect on Veronica.

  
"I'm- I'm sorry," Veronica apologised sheepishly, pushing up her glasses, "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and thought that you were going to shout at me. That was unfair of me and I'm sorry."

Heather gave an affectionate smile and chuckled softly. "Sawyer, It's fine, don't worry. I don't blame you, I do yell a lot. But I would never have yelled at you for helping a student,"

Veronica thought for a moment and realised that yes, even for Heather, that seemed very unlikely. She gave an awkward laugh and ran a hand through her hair, not quite knowing how to respond. She chanced a glance up and immediately regretted it because Heather was biting her cherry red lips and was looking intensely at Veronica and holy fuck-

 _A_ lright _Veronica, calm down. I have no idea why you're feeling like this but we can sort it out later. Pull yourself together, woman_

"Lets go!" Veronica said suddenly, possibly a bit too loud and possibly a bit too high.

Heather's eyebrows shot up at the sudden exclamation but she didn't say anything. She followed behind Veronica, who was practically running to get away. A bit of fresh air might help. Just... anywhere away from here. Being in this hallway was making her feel weird and she really _r_ _eally_ didn't like feeling weird.

Trying to internally change the subject of her thoughts, Veronica let herself have a moment to be blissfully ignorant, that maybe now everything with Archie would be sorted and he would be completely fine. Of course, that wasn't the case at all. They had to deal with police, investigations, more legal procedures than she could count. Not only that, but once everything was over, Archie actually needed a place to go. What if they sent him to a foster home and nobody came for him? He was 15 years old, and people who were fostering often preferred younger kids. He would spend the rest of his life feeling unwanted, unneeded and unloved, and he'll always feel alone-

"Sawyer!" Heather barked suddenly, causing Veronica to almost fall over in surprise.

"Y-yeah? Yup? Yes? What- what is it?". Veronica attempted to seem cool and unphased but it clearly wasn't working.

Heather sighed and gave a sympathetic smile, "I have no idea what you're dealing with or what you're going through, but I can see you're dwelling on it. Honey, that isn't good for you, you'll just end up spiralling into a endless pit of dark thoughts,"

"I can't just let it go, though," Veronica answered meekly, a sad expression her face, "I can't just forget my responsibilities,"

"I'm not asking for you to forget them forever, Sawyer." Heather hesitantly placed a hand on Veronica's shoulder, "just... for now. You can think about them later, but you don't have to constantly worry yourself. Let's go have coffee, and you can just let yourself go. I command you to have a good time,"

Veronica gave a watery laugh, looking up to face Heather, who grinned in response. Veronica felt the strange sensation in her stomach again, as well as feeling light headed. Luckily, Heather stepped away and carried on walking, giving Veronica time to recollect herself. 

_God, you don't even get these sort of feelings around JD, does Heather intimidate you that much?_

They walked in a rather uncomfortable silence, secretly stealing glances at eachother, and then quickly looking away when they caught each others eye. Holding conversations was difficult enough, but especially with Heather. First of all, she was scary as fuck. Second of all, she was like a brick wall to talk to. Finally, she often mocked when Veronica said stupid things, and Veronica often said stupid things, especially around the mythic bitch. It was a vicious cycle.

"Oh!" Heather exclaimed, suddenly remembering something, "can we quickly stop off for corn nuts first?"

Veronica couldnt help it: she wrinkled her nose up in disgust and frowned. Heather frowned back, placing a hand on her hips questioningly. Her blue eyes narrowed dangerously, staring straight at Veronica, who quickly lost the disgust on her face.

"You got a bone to pick?" Heather questioned, her voice low and accusing. 

"No!" Veronica said quickly, holding up her hands in surrender, "not at all! It's just..."

Heather raised an eyebrow. Veronica faltered for a moment.

"...it's just...Corn Nuts are kinda gross,"

Heather gasped dramatically, her eyes widening, and placed a hand on her chest. "How dare you! Corn Nuts are the snacks of Gods!"

Veronica snickered and found herself releasing all the tension from her shoulders. Heather could actually joke, huh? Well, two can play at that game.

"Chandler, they are awful! Seriously, I'd rather eat dog shit,"

The corners of Heather's mouth turned up ever so slightly, showing that she was both amused and pleased that veronica was joking along. She quickly hid her smile with a cough and then regained her face of thunder. "If you aren't careful, Sawyer, I'll shove them Corn Nuts up your ass,". She accompanied the statement with a lovely demonstration of how she would do that. It looked extremely painful and Veronica felt herself wince slightly. 

Veronica tried to withhold her laughter and not let Heather have the satisfaction of seeing Veronica laugh at one of her jokes, but she just couldn't help it. They both laughed until their stomachs hurt. Veronica could hardly believe that not too long ago, she hated Heather with a burning passion, and now they were...friends? Maybe not friends exactly, but certainly acquaintances at the least. She had to hand it to her, Heather could be really funny when she wanted to be, and Veroica genuinely enjoyed their conversations. That was...unexpected, but Veronica wasn't complaining. She much preferred it to their usual pointless, childish bickering.

And, although she hated to admit it, it was about time she started actually talking to people.

And so there they were, getting into Heather's shiny new car. Veronica envied the fact that this girl was 23 and yet she had a bright red Porsche that looked like it must have maxed her dad's credit card. Getting into the car, Veronica immediately melted into the glorious leather seats, ravishing in their comfort. Heather gave a little snort, as well as looking rather pleased with herself at the fact that Veronica was in love with her car. 

All the comfort left Veronica when Heather began speeding down the road, throwing them both back in their chairs. Veronica gripped the sides of her seat so hard that her knuckles turned a stark white, and she tightly closed her eyes, not daring to see how fast the world was whizzing by. Veronica chanced a peek at Hetaher, who looked practically mad. She was a speed demon who clearly didnt care that they were going well over a hundred. 

"Chandler!" Veronica explained, gritting her teeth, "slow the fuck down!"

Heather just cackled and pushed the peddle down even further. Mental. Completely mental. They shot off like a rocket, almost mowing down some poor old lady. Veronica let out a shriek and moved her hands to cover her face. Heather gave a manic grin, eyes wide and unblinking. Veronica was concerned that not only were they likely to crash, but Heather was clearly a fucking psychopath.

Luckily, they managed to reach the convenience store in record time and all in one piece. Veronica felt the sudden need to hurl as she wobbled out of the car, but managed to push it down. God, that was horrific. She clutched her chest, taking deep breaths in and out, trying to stop herself from literally fainting. Heather looked positively giddy, her body full of adrenaline.

_She can go as fast as she wants, just not when there's another person in the car!_

"Alright," Veronica huffed, standing up straight and glaring at Heather, "grab your cornnuts and then let's go. I crave the coffee,"

Heather cocked her head in response, giving Veronica a confused look. "I'm not getting the corn nuts?"

Veronica couldn't believe her ears. They had almost died on the way here and she didn't even want corn nuts anyway? 

"What the hell? If you didn't want corn nuts then why did we even come here-"

"Oh, I want Corn Nuts," interrupted Heather, "I'm just not getting them,"

"What? What on earth do you mean?"

" _y_ _ou_ will be getting them for me!"

Heather gave a bright smile and fluttered her long eyelashes, attempting to look as innocent as possible. Veronica almost choked in disbelief, surely she wasn't going to make Veronica go get them, was she?

"Nope," Veronica stated defiantly, opening the door to get back into the death machine.

"Yes you are," Heather replied with equally as much defiance, smirking at Veronica.

"No, I am absolutely not buying your corn nuts for you!"

__________________________________________

  
"That'll be $1.50"

Veronica huffed angrily in response as she shoved the coins into the hand of the greasy, young cashier boy. He grunted, taking the money, and then turned around to continue watching the TV. Some kind of football match, and by the face he was pulling, his team was clearly losing. Veronica went to leave the convenience store, cursing Heather Chandler's name for the thousandth time.

"Well, fancy seeing you here!" A voice came from the slushie machine, and Veronica recognised the voice instantly.

"Hey, JD!" Veronica greeted brightly, spinning around to face the man with the bright blue slushie, "what brings you here?"

JD motioned to the slushie and then took a long sip. He gasped in pain, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes tightly shut. Veronica panicked and ran over to him, placing her hands on his broad shoulders, his tenchoat feeling surprisingly soft.

"JD! Are you ok? What happened?" Veronica spluttered worriedly, as JD raised his head.

He gave a big grin, showing off his blue-stained teeth. "Freeze your brain" he muttered, running a hand through his dark locks.

Veronica frowned taking a step back. Had she heard him correctly? "Sorry?"

"Freeze your brain," JD repeated, louder and more clearly this time, "it's a great way to numb the pain, y'know?"

Veronica chuckled nervously, and wondered if JD was ok. She had never actually seen him outside of school, let alone speak to him, and he seemed significantly different. He seemed...damaged. Veronica took a wary step back, rubbing the back of her neck, and suddenly wishing that she could be out of this situation right away. JD opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly his eyes moved to the door and his face turned to a scowl.

Veronica spun round to see Heather Chandler, stood behind them, a face like thunder. She looked at JD and her expression became even more hatred-fuelled. She crossed her arms and gave him a look that said "try something. I dare you".

At a glance, it looked like JD wasn't affected by this, but Veronica could see some of the colour drain from his eyes and his scowl wavered. Heather clearly noticed, judging from the triumphant smile on her lips. She strutted over, looked JD up and down, scoffed, and then turned her attention to a confused Veronica.

"Ronnie, let's motor, the coffee shops will be closed soon". Her voice was sweet and friendly, but Veronica could tell that it was a command and Heather wouldn't take no for an answer.

_wait...."Ronnie"? Why would she call me that, we aren't even on a first name basis, let alone nicknames?_

Veronica opened her mouth to answer before a livid JD cut in. "Coffee shop? What do you mean? Veronica, what's going on?"

Heather looked absolutely delighted at his outburst, her wicked grin growing wider. "Veronica!" She said, raising her eyebrows, "you haven't told dear Jason?"

Veronica flinched looking down at the floor. Why could she never just have a nice time, why was there always fighting involved? Now, Veronica wasn't a "pussy" exactly, but she did prefer to avoid conflict if possible. Nowadays, that seemed practically impossible.

"Told me what?" JD asked, his voiced growing louder by the second. His eyes were darting rapidly between Veronica and Heather, desperately trying to find an answer.

Heather enjoyed seeing the boy act like this, but it simply wasn't good enough for her. She had to make the situation worse, and _far_ more entertaining. That might have made her a bitch, but at least she would be a bitch having fun.

"Well, well, well!" Heather said, looking JD straight in the eye, "Me and my darling Veronica are going on a date!"

JD's expression turned from shock, to disbelieve, to worry, to sadness, and then finally, pure rage. His dark eyes narrowed so much that they were almost slits. His usually ghostly pale face was now bright red, even rivalling Heathers blazer. His breath was quick and shaky as he straightened himself and glared at Veronica, who very nearly squealed. She had never seen this side to JD, and he looked pretty fucking scary.

"I- It's just- we- we aren't on... like... a _date_ ," A Veronica spluttered, the words tumbling out of her mouth, "It's just two teachers going out for coffee. Yeah, it isn't a date,"

Heathers grin dropped and she looked at Veronica with a strange expression. 

_Is she looking like that because I ruined the joke by saying it wasn't a date, or did she actually think it was a date? What the fuck?_

Veronica internally shook her head and pushed the last thought out of her mind. Heather knew this wasn't a date, or else she never would have agreed. Veronica knew that deep down, Heather severely disliked her, she was just really really good at hiding it. In fact, she doubted that Heather actually genuinely liked _anyone_.

"It's...not a date?" JD said, his eyes full of hope, losing all his previous fury. Veronica gave a small nod in response still not daring to look at the guy in the trenchcoat or the girl in red.

"Veronica." Heather said, her voice low and monotonous, "see you in the car,"

Without another word, Heather marched out of the convenience store and didn't look back.

JD's mood had changed suspiciously quickly, and now his face was filled with amusement. "Wow, she was _pissed_ that you didn't go along with it, like, really pissed!"

He was grinning from ear to ear, his voice sounding like a giddy schoolboy. Veronica would normally revel in this moment, as JD rarely looked this happy, but she couldn't stop thinking about Heather. She was _angry_ and she genuinely seemed upset by what Veronica had said earlier. Veronica felt a deep sense of guilt and wanted nothing more than to run to Heather and apologise.

She shouldn't really, as she hadn't done anything wrong. She had just told JD the truth and stopped Heather from continuing her bullying, why would she apologise? Still, she should definitely say something, as they couldn't just sit in silence the whole time at the coffee shop.

"Earth to Veronica?" JD said, frowning and leaning in towards Veronica, "You doing ok?"

"Wonderful!" Veronica answered a little too enthusiastically, "absolutely wonderful. I'm- uh- I'm gonna go now, got stuff to do...so yeah,"

Before JD could say another word, Veronica rushed out of the store, still grasping on to the corn nuts from earlier. Her heart plummeted when she couldn't spot the red Porsche in the parking lots, and fears that Heather had left without her entered her mind. Her shoulders sagged and she stood limp and still for moment, until a loud beeping from beside her made her jump. Next to her was Heather Chandler in her car, looking thoroughly pissed.

"Hey loser!" Heather rolled down her window and stuck her head out, "whatchu waiting for? Get in,"

Her voice was joking but her face was completely serious. Without a second thought, Veronica jumped into the car, sinking into the luxurious seats once again.

The mood was tense and there were many things that needed to be discussed. Veronica, knowing that Heather was the most stubborn person in the world, decided to swallow her pride and begin the dreaded discussion.

She gulped. "Chandler, listen, about back then...I'm sorry if you thought it was a date, but-"

Heather scoffed in disbelief and glanced at Veronica with an amused expression. "Sawyer, I didn't think it was date, I was just pissed off that you ruined it. JD was getting so angry, it was hilarious, and then you just go and make him happy. Jesus, Sawyer, learn to have fun!"

Ah, so that was the reason then. Silly Veronica to think Heather actually had feelings. It was always about being bitchy with Heather, wasn't it?

"You still need to apologise, by the way," Heather stated nonchalantly, her expression totally blank. Her tone, however, was firm, and clearly she wanted this apology. She felt like she _deserved_ this apology. Veronica, however, didn't agree one bit.

"Excuse me?" Veronica questioned angrily, " _Excuse me?_ I don't owe you shit!"

"Jesus fucking Christ, Sawyer, calm down!" 

"No, Chandler, you always feel like you deserve averyones love and respect, but you don't. I'm so deeply sorry that I stopped you from bullying and belittling an innocent, kind, genuine guy because you thought it was _funny_ , you bitch. Get a life and stop ruining every else's, it's pathetic!"

For the first time in her whole life, Heather was speechless. Veronica had stood up to her before, and even then she had been shocked, but this was so different. She didn't have a single comeback. 

_Ok, so maybe I went a little bit too far this time_ , Veronica thought worriedly, _but I can't be pussy-footing around her! I said what's on my mind and that's all that matters._

"You can have an opinion Sawyer, that's fine, but there's no need to be so harsh," Heather said quietly, eyes fixed on the road.

Veronica frowned. That was a little hypocritical, wasn't it? "Well at least I have a valid reason for being nasty, _you_ are just nasty for no reason,"

"Can we...not fight. I'd hate to spoil our coffee date,". Heather sounded like she was almost _pleading._

Didn't she _j_ _ust_ say it wasn't a date? Lord, this girl was hard to keep up with.

"Fine," Veronica agreed, "but that isn't me backing down. I'm not gonna bow down to you!"

Heather chuckled, her mood lifted slightly. " i would be disappointed in you if you did. I told you that I like your feistyness,"

The rest of the car ride was uneventful, and was spent mostly in a comfortable silence. There was the occasional conversation, gossip, jab or joke, but nothing more. They were still greatly unfamiliar with one another and they had previously just had their biggest fight yet. Veronica hoped that it wouldn't get any worse, because she couldn't even handle that argument. One thing veronica and learned for sure was that Heather was scarily good at hiding her emotions and could go from being angry and hurt, to joking and light hearted with the space of a few seconds. Veronica made a mental note of this, she felt like that would be important in figuring out Heather Chandler, if it was even possible.

  
**____________________________________________**

  
Warmth hit Veronica like a brick wall as they entered the cosy little coffee shop. It made a very nice change from the bitter weather outside, and Veronica sighed despite herself. Heather noticed and gave a small smirk that made Veronica flush. She coughed awkwardly, pushing up her glasses and avoiding eye contact. 

_Wow, way to go, now she probably thinks you have a fetish for warm air. Very cool._

Veronica ordered a simple cappuccino, not wanting anything too fancy, whilst Heather ordered...well Veronica didn't even know what it was. It had multiple shots of cinnamon, whipped cream, chocolate, some sprinkles, some _fruit_ for some reason? Of course Heather would go for a drink like that, it was extremely hard to make, very specific, and it was completely unique. Absolutely perfect for her.

"I'm paying," Heather stated bluntly, shoving Veronica's coin-filled hand away.

Veronica attempted to protest, but it was to no use, so she just gave a simple thank you instead. Heather proceeded to also purchase a mouth-watering chocolate brownie for each of them, and Veronica wasn't ashamed to admit she drooled slightly at the sight of it. Heather handed her her cup and her plate and they went to find a seat. Maybe all this was some kind of apology for before, maybe it was a way to show off her wealth, maybe it was just Heather trying to be nice, but whatever it was, Veronica certainly wasn't complaining. That brownie tasted like absolute heaven.

Heather watched with a disgusted look on her face as Veronica shoved the brownie down her throat. Normally, Veronica would have some dignity, and would at least use cutlery, but she'd had a hard day and felt like she deserved it. Heather looked down at her own brownie, scrunched up her nose, and pushed it over to Veronica.

"Don' chu wan' it?" Veronica asked with a muffled voice, her mouth stuffed with brownie.

Heather scrunched up her nose even more and vigorously shook her head. "Not anymore, I don't"

Veronica faltered, swallowing her brownie. The last thing she wanted was to make Heather uncomfortable and make herself look like a greedy pig at the same time. She quickly glanced around and noticed a fair few people were throwing her questioning looks. Clearing her throat, Veronica crossed her legs and sat up in her chair, trying to give off an air of elegance. She felt powerful, confident, beautiful-

"You have chocolate around your mouth," Heather commented, cocking her head. There was a hint of amusement to her tone, barely noticeable, but Veronica could hear it.

Veronica quickly wiped it away, blushing furiously. She opted to taking a look at the news paper, but couldn't concentrate on the words. This coffee date was the absolute worst idea ever, she'd made herself look like a fool and it was awkward as hell. Veronica sneakily looked at Heather, who was examining her nails absentmindedly. They were a bright, shiny red, and they were so long they looked like claws. They would have cost a fortune. Veroncia examined her own plain, uneven, heavily-bitten nails and frowned. She was about to say something about how nice Heather's nails were, but decided not to at the last second. That was a terrible conversation starter and Heather would certainly disapprove. She went back to boring old newspaper with yesterday's stories.

  
_"September 3rd, 1989."_

_"Young man, Todd Stevens, speaks out about how hard it is to have two kids and be a single parent. Todd has a son with a girl and boy, and he explains how his son is an amazing father but still struggles. The boy's name is-"_

  
"How do you do it?". The voice pulled Veronica from the dull article, and she looked up to see Heather looking her with an expression Veronica couldnt quite understand.

"I'm sorry?" Veronica said, putting down the paper and raising her eyebrows.

Heather rolled her eyes. "I said, how do you do it? Control and engage your class, I mean,"

Veronica was sure she misheard her, Heather couldn't seriously be asking for advice, could she? Veronica rubbed the back of her neck and cleared her throat.

"Well... I suppose a key thing is to know your students. Build up a healthy relationship with them. If a student likes the teacher, no matter how boring the lesson, it'll be more enjoyable for them,"

Heather frowned, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. "But...why? That's so much time and effort, I'm just there to do my job, not to be their _friend_ ,"

"See, now, there's your problem," Veronica pointed out, "first of all, you're not their 'friend', because that's really weird, and second of all _you're_ there to teach because it's your job. You gotta teach because you wanna shape a life. And you know teenagers, always wanting to be treated like grownups. A little bit of respect goes a long way!"

During Veronicas reply, she had failed to notice that Heather was scribbling everything she said on a notepad. Word for word. Veronica was taken aback, she agent realised that Heather was that serious. Not only that, but as far as Veronica knew, Heather thought her way was the best and would never take ideas from anyone else. Proved her wrong.

"Alright" Heather said, finishing off her sentence, "anything else?"

"Oh, uh, well...make each lesson different. Find out what the kids like and use that. Some days maybe do writing, some do reading, some days maybe just put on a short video. See how they react to each one. You gotta make the lesson as effective as possible, and if they are repetitive, that's not good for you or the students,"

"That's... pretty good". Heather said it as if it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. Veronica smiles anyway.

"How do you control a class so well?" Veronica pipes up, catching Heather off guard.

"You gotta be firm and confident. If you seem like the slightest bit of pushover, those class clowns will eat you alive,". She says it with a hint of distaste, and Veronica can tell she's talking from experience.

"That's good advice," Veronica compliments, "thanks,"

Veronica swears she must be going insane because she thought she saw Heather's breath catch in her throat. The moment it happens, its gone, and Heather regains her usual bitch-face.

"Well yeah, obviously it's good advice, it came from me,"

Veronica let out a low chuckle and took a sip from her now luke warm coffee. Heather does the same and it's back to silence. Though, this time, its more...normal. Not quite comfortable, but it's that silence where it's just... there. 

"I like to yell," Heather stated, looking at Veronica's intelligent brown eyes, "though I don't think that's the best thing,"

Veronica agreed, "It can help to show that you're in charge, but it just makes the students hate you,"

"Well, we know they hate me," Hetaher joked.

"They don't hate you I don't think, you're too beautiful for that,"

Veronica laughed slightly and was confused why Heather was giving her a look, before she suddenly realised what she said. She gulped and looked away, not daring to see Heather's reaction.

"...anyway," Heather said slowly, making Veronica sigh with relief that the subject was being changed, "I personally think being quieter can be more scary than shouting,"

"Absolutely!" Veronica exclaimed, "I used to piss myself if a teacher was quiet, it meant they were _really_ mad,"

"Pffft, teachers pet," Heather mocked, "but yeah, once there was this guy I was teaching, a really tough guy, thought he was the best in the room, and so I go and be really quiet and sinister and I shit you not, the kid _wets_ _himself_ ,"

Veronica had the terrible idea to be drinking at this moment, and so she ended up spluttered her coffee back into the cup. They were both sent into fits of laughter at the thought of this boy wetting himself because Heather was telling him off. 

"Sorry, Chandler," Veronica coughed, "but that's bullshit,"

"It's true!" Heather protested, leaning forward, "the guy was a Freshman, just trying to show off!"

They continue to chat and joke for what feels like forever, not feeling awkward at all. Somehow, talking to eachother felt so comfortable and there was always something to say. Veronica would be lying if she said it wasn't entertaining. Part of her wondered why the hell they hadn't done this before, they just clicked so well, but all this time they'd been fighting? What a waste.

They both discovered many surprising things about eachother in that coffee shop. Heather discovered that Veronica had always wanted to be a teacher, and Veronica found out that Heather had initially wanted to be a hairdresser. By the look of her breathtaking, curly hair, she would have gone far, Veronica thought.

Despite the rocky start, it turned out to be a very enjoyable evening for the both of them. Veronica almost completely forgot about Archie's big problem, or how she was going to handle JD. _A_ _lmost._ It was still lingering in the back of her mind, but Veronica took Heather's advice of letting go for a few hours, and it did absolute wonders. She felt at least 5 years younger, and it was like she was _truly_ happy for the first time in a while.

Soon, the sun began to set, painting the sky shades of purple, orange and yellow. Though the sight was beautiful, it was also a sign that they and to haul ass before they were kicked out. Standing outside the shop, Veronica shivered, wishing she'd brought a coat. Sure, it may not be winter yet, but the breeze still sent chills up her spine.

Noticing this, Heather gave a look of concern. "Are you cold? Why didn't you bring a coat? You know it gets cold at nights!"

Veronica, taken aback with the sudden concern, stuttered out "It- It's fine, its not that bad,"

"Bullshit! Here, take my coat,"

Veronica couldnt even try to protest as a very expensive, very comfy, very stylish, very red coat was placed delicately around her shoulders. Veronica looked away in an attempt to hide the blush that was creeping up her neck and desperately tried to ignore the fact that her and Heather were extremely close in that moment. Like, way too close.

Much to Veronicas relief, Heather stepped away, looking out absentmindedly across the city. Hetaher looked up at her in admiration, wondering how on earth this girl could look so perfect. Veronicas heart began to quicken as Heather turned back and locked eyes for a moment. It felt like it was for eternity as the world around them began to fade away. 

Suddenly, for some strange, unknown reason, the little girl from her childhood came into her mind. Heather reminded her of the little girl, especially in that moment, as the wind whipped her hair around and her cheeks were rosy red against her pale skin. 

"I...suppose we should leave," Veronica managed to croak out, still not breaking eye contact.

Heather gave a small, slow nod. She blinked a few times and then gave a more definite nod. 

"Yeah, yeah we should. Uh, hey, thanks for coming here with me. I...had a nice time,"

"You did, did you?" Veronica replied, crossing her arms and giving a cheeky grin.

Heather looked away and shrugged, "what I meant was...you're not as bad as I thought,"

"Thanks," Veronica chuckled, rolling her eyes, "you're not too bad either, I guess,"

Heather only gave another nod, and turned to leave. She gave a lazy wave over her shoulder and soon she was out of sight, but certainly not out of mind. Veronica stood still for a good few minutes after that, staring after where her figure had been.

_....What the fuck had just happened?_

**____________________________________________**

  
The door creaked and squeaked loudly as she struggled to push it open. She closed it softly behind her, but it still managed to wake her cat, JFK up. Hanging up Heather's coat, Veronica made her way into the cramped little kitchen, raiding the fridge for some sort of snack. She found a bowl of cold, leftover pasta and decided that it was good enough. JFK purred loudly, circling Veronica, his eyes transfixed on the bowl of pasta. 

The clock struck twelve, making Veronica realise that she needed to scrap the pasta. She didn't feel like eating anyway.

She have to leave her marking for tomorrow morning. What she craved right now was simple, blissful sleep, and she wouldn't wait a second longer. Wrapping herself in the covers and shutting her eyes, her mind began to wander. 

Not only is Heather Chandler genuinely good company, she's also a pretty good teacher, for a starter, anyway. She made a mental note to ask Heather what made her decide on teaching, its certainly an interesting job, and it doesn't seem like it would suit her. However, it ended up being an amazing job for her.

Actually there was a lot of things she didn't know about Heather. She thought that maybe she should get Heather's phone number tomorrow so they could arrange another catch-up some time. 

_God knows you need the friends_

As JFK jumped on top of the bed, curled up into a ball of black fluff, Veronica cleared her mind. Well tried to, Heather just wouldn't leave. It was like she was implanted in veronica brain and consumed her every thought. Her face, her voice, her body, her posture, her clothes, they just kept coming into her mind. There was just something about her that seemed to be sticking with Veronica, but that was something she could think at about in the morning. 

God, there was so much she needed to sort out tomorrow. It was going to be an absolute shit storm wasn't it? She just prayed that Heather would be there to make it better rather than worse. They were making such good progress and... that pleased Veronica more than we thought it would. Something had changed between them, and Veronica was intrigued to see what happens next, good or bad. All she knew was: she was starting to get through to Heather.

_Just don't ruin it now_

Veronica didn't get to sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm super sorry for taking so long to update! This chapter was by far the hardest to write, and I'm still not too happy with it, but it's the best I can do. I hope you enjoyed anyway and hopefully I'll get the next chapter out in the normal two weeks!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBiscuit


	6. Can you feel it too?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica and Heather notice that the students are acting strange towards them.

As Veronica wearily opened her eyes, the first thing she registered was how bright it was. Normally, at this time of year, 6 am was a time when the sun hadn't even poked it's head up, yet now the sun filled the room and the world seemed wide awake, unlike Veronica. The second thing she registered was that she hadn't been woken up, she'd done it herself. Normally, there was an unbelievably obnoxious alarm blaring in her ear, and although the silence was blissful, it was also deeply concerning.

Realising how strange this was, she turned to check her clock and, to her horror, saw that instead of _6:00_ the clock quite clearly showed _7:45_ meaning that school started in just under half an hour. A school that took 15 minutes to get there. Shit.

 _Damn you coffee, keeping me awake at night_.

Not wanting to waste another second, Veronica threw the covers off, less than gracefully leapt out of bed, and rushed through to her kitchen, causing poor JFK to jump out of his skin. Veronica would have to make it up to him later with some tuna or something.

"I was gonna do some marking this morning..." Veronica grumbled, sloppily buttering her under-cooked toast. 

The sight of Veronica scoffing down some shitty toast was not a pretty one, but that was the least of her worries. Throwing on the clothes closest to her, quickly brushing her hair, and dashing out of the door, Veronica was finally on her way. She began to speed walk down the street, and then, checking the time, opted to do a relaxed jog. Although, it wasn't very relaxed as Veroncia was practically dying the whole way through.

Her usual 15 minute journey took only 8 minutes, and Veronica gave herself a mental pat on the back as she regained her breath. 

_Right, not the ideal start to the day, but you did arrive at 8:03, which isn't atrocious._

She arrived at her classroom, huffing and puffing, not noticing the amused woman in red before her.

"Sawyer!" Heather greeted brightly, raising an eyebrow, "Quelle Surprise,"

"Do you always say that?" Veronica replied laughing softly, grinning at the sight of Heather.

"No, darling, I save it just for you," Heather said quietly, biting her lip, cocking her head and giving Veronica _a look_ that was making her feel things-

Veronica faltered, for just a second, before countering, "you literally said it to JD the other day. My love, are you _cheating_?!"

The corners of Heather's lips turned up slightly and her eyes wrinkled in amusement. Veronica couldn't believe how confident and comfortable she was around Heather, that coffee shop thing really changed everything. 

"Cheating on you with that greasy freak?" She cried, a disgusted look on her face. Her voice turned sultry and she added "he's nothing compared to you..."

Veronica felt her breath catch in her throat and she gazed into Heather's beautiful eyes for a moment. She wasn't sure how long they stood like that until she quickly snapped out of it and came up with some sort of remark to answer with.

"Careful, Chandler, almost sounded like you were being serious for a second there... you don't actually _c_ _are about me_ , do you?"

Veronica's voice was low and accusing as she, for some stupid reason, decided to take a step closer. Heather clearly noticed but gave no reaction, still looking Veronica straight in the eye. She had made Veronica flustered so many times before, she wasn't going to lose now.

No matter how close these two got, there would always be that rivalry between them, some healthy competition. Well, it certainly made things more interesting.

Heather didn't back down. "Says the girl wearing my coat."

Heather gave a shit-eating grin and gestured to the fancy, soft red coat Veronica had thrown on this morning. Dammit. Admitting defeat, she shrugged the coat off and handed it over to Heather, who just smirked in triumph.

"Anyway, Sawyer, you don't seem like the type of teacher to be late to her own lesson, what gives?"

"You're right there, I overslept... like, a lot,". Veronica rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. Heather was right, it wasn't common for her at all. She had nothing better to die other life, so she got to school early very day.

"Ah well," Heather said, shrugging, "you're here now I guess. Luckily I have free period first, but you got a class to teach. Better get prepared, seeing as school officially started 24 seconds ago,"

"Damn, you're right..." Veronica grumbled.

She was about to say her goodbyes and enter her classroom when she remembered an idea she had had the night before. Not quite thinking through what she was about to say, she blurted out:

"Can I get your phone number?"

Veronica seriously regretted her phrasing of that question and cursed herself for not coming up with an excuse to go along with it. Now it sounded like Veronica was asking for Heather's phone number, which she was, but... not in that way obviously.

Heather raised an eyebrow, her face a mixture of confusion and amusement. She slowly folded her coat, whipped out a pen and notepad, and begin to neatly write down her number in fancy cursive writing. Veroncia heart began beating faster and harder and _why the hell is her handwriting so neat?_

Veronica learnt to never trust someone with neat handwriting. Someone who has neat handwriting must have practiced it, which is pretty darn sad. It was terribly ironic seeing as Veronica could change her writing to look like whatever she wanted. Neat, scruffy, signature forgery, you name it. It was s pecial, hidden talent, that sort of made her seem like a criminal so she kept it on the down-low. Of course, due to her opinion on neat handwriting, she kept her's at an average level. Not too neat but also legible.

Oh yeah, Heather Chandler thing. 

Voices coming from behind pulled her from her thoughts, and she whipped around to see a few students mumbling and whispering to eachother. This reminded Veronica that they were indeed at a school, she was indeed a teacher, she was indeed supposed to teach a lesson, and she was indeed quite late.

Heather realised the same thing, handing her number over to Veronica and thanking her again for bringing the coat back. This, to Veronicas surprise, increased the amount of mumbling and whispering, thus increasing Veronica's suspicions. She sneakily listened in as she pretended to go through her lesson plan:

"Oh my God, I've been here for a little while and she gave Miss Chandler back her coat! That means she must have had it over night!"

"And Miss Chandler just gave Miss Sawyer her phone number! This is crazy!"

"They were literally flirting earlier. Hard-core flirting, I'm not even kidding!"

Heather gave a quizzical look to Veronica before shrugging and sauntering down the hallway. Veronica couldn't help but stare after her retreating figure, totally captivated. 

There was a giggle from behind, bringing her back down to earth. All her students had gathered now and were watching her intently. Sighing deeply, Veronica swung open the door and got started with her lesson. Students were nosy pricks and she just had to deal with that.

**____________________________________________**

It went about as worse as a lesson could go. For some reason, the students were restless, muttering and gossiping throughout the entire lesson. They refused to follow any instructions given to them and Veronica found herself wishing for Heather Chandler, or at least her authority. Another thing was that throughout the majority of the lesson, they all spoke about the same or very similar things: the fact that Veronica had Heather's coat, that they exchanged phone numbers, and that they were "flirting before class".

She'd dealt with students acting strange towards her and Heather before, but then it was just idle chat and inaudible muttering, now... well it was just stupid gossiping. For some reason, the main focus of the chatter was Heather and Veronica. Why students were so invested in their teachers social life, it was beyond her.

"Chelsea!" Veronica called during her lesson, "I do hope that wasn't a note,"

By the guilty and embarassed expression on poor Chelsea's face, it definitely was a note. Veronica sighed in response, doing her usual 'take the note and read it out to the class' approach.

Clearing her throat, she read "I ship them so much"

... _what_?

Veronica may not have understood it but the class certainly did, judging by the eruption of laughter. Even Archie, sat by himself at the back corner, cracked a smile, a rare occurrence for him of late. On one hand, it was great to see him smile, on the other hand, what the fuck did this mean?

Veronica weighed out her options. She either asked what the hell this could mean, and risk being mocked by her students more than she already was, she could scold Chelsea and all who laughed, but that hardly seemed fair when she didn't know what the note meant, or she could ignore it and continue. Deciding that this whole thing was rather unimportant, she chose the third option. She casually handed the note back, to Chelsea's surprise, and continued on as if nothing happened. Everyone eventually got the idea and followed suite, nobody bringing up the incident for the rest of the lesson.

**____________________________________________**

The lesson whizzed by and before she knew it, Veronica was packing up for break. A few students were scattered about the classroom, in no rush to leave. At this moment, Heather popped her head around the door and grinned. Veronica couldn't help but grin back as Heather sauntered in. 

"So how was your lesson, Sawyer?" Heather asked casually, but before Veronica could answer, the students left in the classroom gasped loudly.

"She came to visit her?" One piped up, "Aw that's so cute!"

"Hey!" Heather bellowed, making them jump, "what's with you guys today? Scram!"

They certainly didn't need telling twice. In a heartbeat, the classroom was empty and silent, housing nobody else but Heather and Veronica.

"Seriously what is with them?" Heather repeated, frowning, "they were like that with me all lesson, gossiping about me and you hanging out or something?"

"Me too! It's so strange, and it's annoying as hell..." Veronica said, huffing and picking up her books.

They walked together down the hallway, ignoring the stares they were getting. Eventually, a few people lost interest and so Heather and Veronica could walk in peace.

"Oh that's right!" Veronica spoke up, suddenly remembering the whole Chelsea thing, "some girl had a note in my class and when I read it out, it said 'I ship them so much'. What does that mean?"

Heather shrugged, "Beats me. God, these kids are insufferable, why're they being so weird about this?"

Veronica shook her head, giving Heather a look that said she had no answer. It was most likely some joke they couldn't understand, and probably wouldn't want to understand. It would all blow over soon enough and they could both get on with their lesson without someone commenting about Heather Chandler's damn coat.

As they entered Heathers classroom, Veronica said "we're just too elderly to understand," and shrugged.

Heather scoffed, replying, "Speak for yourself, I'm only 23!"

"Yeah well I'm only 24,"

"That's still a year older, making _you_ the elderly one, honey,"

"Me being older just makes me more mature!"

As Heather laughed, Veronica noticed that the blonde had some small, barely noticeable dimples, that looked kind of cute. Veronica also noticed that when Heather laughed, her eyes twinkled and her nose wrinkled. Veronica was a people watcher, she liked to study people, see what their lives were like, but this was crazy. This wasn't simple looking at a stranger for a few moments, this was Veronica full on noting down every feature on Heather's face. She found herself wanting to make Heather laugh more to simply see those dimples, which was absurd.

_JD doesn't have cute dimples..._

. _._ _. why am I so caught up on those dimples?_

A sound of shuffling alerted Veronica to the fact that there was somebody at the door. Looking over, she saw Heather McNamara, peering in with a blank expression on her face. Her eyes were glued to Veronica, but when she realised she had been caught, she squeaked and ran away without a word. Veronica raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding what had just happened.

"Was that a mouse?" Heather said, confused, as she looked around the classroom.

"Nope," Veronica stated, shaking her head and turning her attention back to Heather, "It was Miss McNamara. She was spying on us, I think."

"Right, so the teachers are being weird too?" Heather said incredulously, her eyebrows raised, "This school is whack,"

"First of all, don't say 'whack' ever again, you're not hip. Second of all, this school may not be the most normal but people aren't normally like this. And it seems to be only Miss McNamara, I don't think anyone else is spying on us..."

"Shame, she seemed nice. Turns out she's a weirdo." Heather sighed and turned back around, going to sit at her desk.

Veronica kept her focus on the doorway where the Art Teacher had just stood.

What on earth was going on? 

**____________________________________________**

"Why are we here then?" Heather grumbled, as they looked at the sign that read "Staff Room".

"Listen, I dislike them as much as you," Veronica consoled her sympathetically, "but if us two just spend our time hanging out together and nobody else, we're gonna look really antisocial,"

"I'd much rather seem anti social and hang out with you, though," Heather commented, causing Veronica to look away in embarrassment.

"Yes, well, that's nice of you, but it's just one lunch hour, and that's it! We'll just go in, chat a little bit, and then leave for a few weeks,"

To make sure Heather agreed, Veronica gave her best puppy eyes. It worked, as Heather found herself sighing and pushing open the door. All heads turned to them and conversations came to a halt. McNamara in particular was staring right at them, as if she was doing a thorough examination. Veronica and Heather awkwardly sat down on a chair near to the corner and waited for people to start talking again, which they eventually did.

To Veronica's surprise, the one to actually make an effort was Heather Duke, who made her way over. Unfortunately, she took no notice of Veronica and showed her full admiration toward Heather. Admiration with a hint of jealousy and envy. Clearly there's a reason why she wears green.

Of course, they got onto the topic of Dukes husband, which she never fails to bring up. She was just going into a long, passionate rant about how her husband drinks all the time, when McNamara joined the trio, gaze fixed on Veronica. Duke gave her a questioning look but all McNamara said was "Veronica are you dating anyone?".

Duke frowned, Heather nearly choked, McNamara kept her blank stare, and all Veronica could say was "Ah- Uh... No?"

By McNamara's silence, Veronica assumed she wanted an explanation. "I don't have the time for that, I want to focus on my career,"

That and also she was awkward as hell and didn't know how to even talk to someone, let alone date someone. The whole career thing was true as well though, she wanted to focus on getting money, getting a stable life, and getting the hell out of that shitty overpriced apartment. Until then, men were totally out of the question. Besides, Veronica was a teacher, which meant she was logical and smart enough to know that when it came to relationships, you were setting yourself up for marriage or heartbreak, and both sounded equally as unappealing as eachother. 

Veronica completely forgot she was in the room until Heather scoffed in disbelief. "What do you mean? Relationships take, like, no time at all! Just fuck 'em then leave 'em"

"That's...That's not a relationship, Chandler," Veronica commented, shaking her head, "do you even-"

"Anyway!" Heather interrupted loudly, clapping her hands together, "this isn't about me!"

"So it's different from everything else then?" Duke muttered sarcastically, wisely keeping her voice quiet. Heather still heard, as did Veronica.

"Miss Duke, there was no need for that," Veronica scolded, much to both Heather and Duke's surprise.

Duke gave a little grunt and mumbled something her breath, but didn't say anything else. Satisfied, Heather continued. "Sawyer, surely you've had a relationship before?"

Veronica just turned away and ran a hand through her hair. That was all the answer Heather needed.

"You've _never_ been in a relationship?" She gasped, "bullshit!"

"I just- like I said, I dont have time for that!"

"So you're a virgin?!"

" _Heather_!"

There was an awkward silence as Veronica turned as red as a tomato and Heather stared disbelievingly. Duke had a grin on her face that she only ever got when there was a bit of drama, especially between two people she severely disliked. Veronica was mortified to say the least about the fact that Heather had so openly asked such a personal question, about the fact that Veronica had pretty much just embarrassingly admitted to being a virgin, and that Heather found that so surprising. Like, of course, being a virgin at twenty four wasn't anything to boast about, but it wasn't _terrible._ And she was an English Teacher for God's sake, she's hardly going to have a line of bachelors waiting for her.

"Uh, so anyway, Chandler," Veronica spoke up, desperately trying to move the conversation along, "I'm not sure why you're lecturing me when it sounds like you haven't ever been in a relationship either?"

Heather sighed, realising that she wouldn't be able to get out of this. "Not a serious one, no. Sounds boring anyway, who wants a serious relationship? Everyone either wants me as a friend or a fuck and I'm totally fine with that, thank you very much,"

Veronica raised an eyebrow but kept quiet. Why on earth would anyone be happy about that? How could she be fine with the fact that people were using her for her popularity, for her beauty, for her money, or for sex? And she didnt want a serious relationship because it would be _boring_? Sure, Veronica wasn't the biggest fan of serious relationships, but they were anything but boring. 

"I'm not being funny, but can we talk about something else?" Duke requested, "as much as I love hearing about how sad both your lives are, I was kind of not finished talking about my husband,"

Veronica prepared herself for the long rant she was about to endure. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite focus on Duke's captivating sorry on how shitty her life was, as her attention was constantly being drawn to McNamara. Mac's gaze hadn't left Veronica at all, and she seemed to be in deep thought. 

Whatever her problem was, Veronica hoped that she got over it soon.

**____________________________________________**

"So then he comes in and gives me shit, and I'm like: 'Gary, shut up, you're being a dick'. Then he says-"

Much to everyone's relief, the bell finally rang, freeing both Veronica and Heather from hearing another dreaded story. They picked up their bags and left immediately, not wasting any time. Veronica had never been so excited to get to a lesson in all her life. 

As much as Veronica wanted to leave that cramped little staff room, she couldn't help but pause to look at McNamara and Duke. Duke seemed to be convincing her to do something. Curiosity getting the better of her, Veronica silently shuffled closer, discretely listening in.

"-c'mon, Heather, just come with me!"

"But Heather, don't we need to go to class?"

Duke sighed, frustrated, "for God's sake, just come with me!"

McNamara frowned, thinking hard. Suddenly, a look of realisation appeared, "Oh! The... _thing_ "

"Yes, Heather, _the thing_. Now hurry up, we can think of an excuse for why you're late to your lesson later,"

Not waiting another second, they dashed out the door, leaving a very confused Veronica staring at the spot where they had just been. What was "the thing"? What on earth were those two up to?

"Sawyer!" Heather greeted, nudging Veronica's arm, "you gonna go to lesson, or what?"

"Oh yeah!" Veronica exclaimed, checking her watch and seeing that she was already running late, "right, see you later then,"

Heather grinned and rolled her eyes affectionately. "Have a nice lesson, Sawyer."

 _T_ hank _God it's Friday..._ Veronica thought, before leaving as quick as possible.

**____________________________________________**

"Miss Saywer..." came a timid voice, as Veronica sat at her desk. She whirled around to see Archie, who was looking considerably more well. It appeared that he had at least had the energy to shower, his curls looking softer than ever. There was a certain twinkle in his eye that Veronica had missed dearly.

The sight of him made her embarassingly emotional. Holding back the tears and swallowing the lump in her throat, she nodded at Archie to come in and gestured to the seat near her desk. He did this wordlessly, and not once making eye contact. 

"So...Archie," Veronica started awkwardly, "How have you been? You're looking very bright and cheerful today"

Ok, he wasn't exactly "bright and cheerful", but compared to what he was like before, he was practically the happiest man alive at that moment.

"I'm sorry for not talking to you for ages," Archie said, completely ignoring Veronica's evasive question, "I just...haven't been in the right space to talk about it,"

Veronica's face fell and she felt a pang of guilt. "You don't need to be sorry, it's understandable that you'd be a little... out of it. And you're not obligated to tell me anything,"

Archie gave a big smile, a real one, one that made you feel better about yourself. "That's why you're my favourite teacher"

They sat in silence for a moment, neither quite knowing what to say or do. 

Eventually, Archie was the one to break the silence.

"They're sorting out some legal stuff," he stated, "I dont really understand it. Not sure what's happened to my dad, but right now me and my sister are being looked after by one of my dad's friends down the road. She's quite nice."

"And...where will you be going once evrything is sorted?" Veronica asked.

Archie gave a small shrug, his expression neutral. If he was affected by this, he certainly wasn't showing it. The silence fell again, lingering like a bad smell, and equally as suffocating and unwelcome.

"...I'm going away for a bit," Archie muttered timidly, "Away from school. I think I need it, honestly. Not sure when I'll be back, but it shouldn't be too long," 

Veronica took time to process this. Of course it would be devastating to see Archie go, and she'd constantly be worrying about him, but it seemed like it was a good idea. After all that he'd been through, the best thing for him would be to take a break. And it wasn't like he was going forever, he'd be back soon enough, and maybe then he could be back to the old Archie. Maybe.

Struggling to get any words out, Veronica just smiled and nodded. Archie took this as a sign that if he talked any more, she might just cry, so he wisely got up to leave. Just as he got to the doorway, he looked back over his shoulder. He looked like he was about to say something but stopped himself, and continued on his way.

Veronica cursed herself, as she had forgotten to ask if he knew anything about what happened in the class.

 _I'll ask him if I get the chance again soon_ ,

"Knock knock," came a voice, "why're you staring at the table like a creep?"

Veronica laughed. She was grateful that Heather was here to brighten her mood, especially after something as heavy as what had happened with Archie.

"Chandler!" Veronica replied, her voice bright, "lovely to see you as always,"

"Can't say the same for you, bitch," Heather teased, making her way over. Veronica grinned, amused, and crossed her arms. 

Heather, not allowing Veronica to answer, continued. "Anyway, pillowcase, Principal Flemming told me that our dumb joint lesson thing is Monday, so we have the weekend to prepare or whatever"

The joint lesson, she'd completely forgot about that. She audibly groaned, placing her head in her hands. Yet another thing to deal with, along with a mountain of other work to do. Why did she choose to be a teacher again?

"Damn, I totally forgot," Veronica admitted, gaining an eyeroll from Heather, "any ideas yet?"

Heather looked away, embarassed, confusing Veronica.

"That was kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." Hetaher looked at Veronica. "Do you... want to come round to my place?"

After a brief pause of shock, she quickly added "to plan, obviously!".

Alright... Heather Chandler is inviting you over to her house. No big deal. Just go round, try not to fuck things up, and then leave in the evening. It'll only be a few hours, and you can deal with that, right? Besides, Heather explicitly said it was to plan, meaning this would all be strictly professional. 

Veronica repeated this over in her mind, but she still knew it was bullshit. She was going to Heather's house of God's sake, if there was ever a reason to panic, this would be it. 

The way she saw it, this was a lose lose situation. Either Heather would be completely fine, but Veronica would embarrass herself in some way, or Heather would be luring Veronica into a false sense of security, building up a sense of trust, just to bring it back down. All the joint lessons and coffee shop dates in the world couldn't cover the fact that Heather was a mythic bitch, with a history of destroying people's lives.

Despite the overwhelming nerves that consumed her, Veronica couldn't help but feel rather excited. It was confusing, really, seeing as, as she had stated, Heather was despicable really. So why on earth did she feel herself heating up, unwilling to meet Heather's gaze?

With a lot of effort, she managed to give a sort of confident "sure!"

And with that, Veronica had agreed to take a step into the lion's den. She'd soon find out whether that decision would be the death of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I updating a month late? Yep. Do I feel terrible? Absolutely. Will I update on time next time? Not at all.
> 
> On a serious note, I am super sorry, but writers block is a bitch. Also, all this shit with the coronavirus is just mental and we're living in crazy times right now, but I am officially going to be in self isolation soon so I'll have time to write (hopefully). Thank you for sticking with me even though I'm so unreliable haha.
> 
> But yeah, thank you for reading and have a great day!
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBicuit


	7. Scrunchies, Mansions and Strange Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica goes to Heather's house and things get... interesting.

Saying that Heather's house was huge would be a criminal understatement. It was practically a mansion, with beautiful architecture, perfectly cut lawns, flowers that were bright and blooming despite the fact that it was September, and three fucking floors. In short, it was breathtaking, and Veronica felt too poor to even walk on the footpath. She wasn't sure what she was expecting from Heather Chandler, but it certainly wasn't as grand as this. Although, if your parents are millionaires and you have access to daddy's credit card, you're gonna have a nice house.   
  
"Oh by the way," Heather spoke up as they reached the front door, "I still live with my parents,"

Noticing Veronica's look of panic, she clarified, "they're out of town for a few weeks, though"

Veronica nodded in relief. The last thing she wanted was to have to deal with a Mr and Mrs Chandler straight after school. Miss Chandler was quite enough for her.

Heather unlocked the door and they stepped inside. The first thing Veronica noticed was that the house smelled even more like cherries than Heather did. The second thing Veronica noticed was that the colour scheme was- surprise, surprise -red. The sofas, lights, rugs, and other accessories were all identical shades to Heather's blazer, making her fit right in.

Somehow, it seemed even bigger on the inside. Heather led Veronica through to the kitchen, and Veronica wondered how the hell anyone didn't get lost in this place. 

"So, Sawyer, can I get you anything? Coffee maybe?"

"Nah, I'm good... thanks" Veronica replied awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other, not quite knowing what to do in this very unfamiliar situation.

Heather rolled her eyes. "You can sit down, weirdo,"

"I knew that," Veronica huffed, sitting down on a chair near her.

An awkward silence fell over them as Heather drummed her nails lightly on the counter, creating a very therapeutic tapping sound. Veronica watched Heather, who had her head cocked to the side, her blue eyes staring into space, her bright red nails still making that drumming sound that seemed to get right into Veronica's head. 

"What're you looking at?" Heather asked accusingly, raising a questioning eyebrow, "Are you just gonna stare at me all day or are we gonna get some damn work done?"

Veronica shook her head, ignoring the blush that was creeping over her cheeks, and replied with, "well, where should we start, if you're so eager?"

Heather couldn't help but smirk at Veronica's sassy response. Finally someone who stood up to her. This should be fun.

"Oh I am _so_ eager to do boring work with you, Sawyer," Heather said sarcastically, "come on, I just can't wait to talk with you about what equations we're going to teach!"

"Well, you chose to be a maths teacher, Chandler"

"No, maths is great. _you're_ the boring bit,"

Veronica laughed softly, getting out of the chair and making her way into the living room, Heather close behind. She took in her surroundings and noted just how comfortable the living room looked. Although, that was to be expected, due to the fact that her sofas were probably more expensive than Veronicas rent. She sat down onto said sofas and let out a small groan as she relished in the comfort. Heather chuckled, shaking her head and looking at Veronica affectionately.

Deciding that at some point, they actually needed to get on with things, Hetaher left to go get her resources. Veronica took this time to do a little bit more snooping.

She studied some photos that were on a chest of drawers, and assumed that the little girl wearing a pretty red dress was Heather. Veronica smiled softly at how bright and innocent Heather was back then. Looking at that girl, Veronica couldn't help hut feel a sense of familiarity, as if this girl was some sort of close friend.

Next to young Heather was a tall, stern looking man with a distinct lack of hair. He wore a fancy suit, and had Heather's signature blue eyes. Heather's dad. On the other side was presumably Heather's mum, judging from the fact she looked identical to her daughter, although her hair was less curly. She, like Mr Chandler, looked stern, but had more of bitch face, similar to Heather's.

Like mother like daughter.

"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Heather barked from behind Veronica, causing her to jump.

"Chandler, I was just looking at your family photos-"

"Did I say you could touch my stuff?". Heather began to march over and Veronica felt herself cower in fear, "stop being such a stalker freak and fuck off!"

Veronica had no idea why Heather was reacting this way, but she wasn't going to protest. She scurried away and sat back down on the sofa. Despite Heather seeming livid, her eyes had a sense of panic in them, constantly glancing at the photo. 

Heather followed soon after, making sure to sit on the opposite side of the room. She threw her books down aggressively and glared at Veronica.

"I really didn't mean to intrude..." Veronica explained quietly, "I was just curious-"

"Curiosity killed the cat, bitch."

Veronica nodded slowly, but didn't give up. "Are those your parents?"

Heather didn't answer, instead giving Veronica a warning glare. If looks could kill, Veronica really would have been killed by her damn curiosity. 

She contemplated whether she should go any further with this clearly sensitive topic. Maybe she could just stop and leave it, then they could get on with their work. 

_Yeah, you should do that-_

"Your Mum looks just like you"

 _For fucks sake, Veronica_.

Heather snorted, both annoyed that Veronica was still bringing this up, and amused that Veronica had the balls to.

"You're less plastic, though," Veronica commented nonchalantly, before realising what she'd said and placing a hand over her mouth in shock.

Heather's eyes widened, her eyebrows shot up and she sat up straight. Veronica was about to apologise when Heather burst out laughing.

"Oh God, don't let her hear you say that!" Heather chuckled, "she swears she's never had any work done,"

Veronica, impressed with herself for lightening the mood and sort of saving the situation, joined in with the laughter.

"Right then," Heather said, rubbing her eyes and seemingly forgetting all of the previous tension, "let's get to work shall we?"

  
**____________________________________________**

Five painstakingly long hours later, and they finally had a decent enough plan. Satisfied, Heather stretched out, grinning triumphantly.

"You know what Sawyer, I don't think you'll be too bad at this," she teased, leaning closer to Veronica.

At some point in the evening, Heather had joined Veronica on her sofa and they had sat relatively close together. The room was warm anyway, but Heather's body heat was making Veronica particularly cosy.

Veronica rolled her eyes affectionately at Heathers remark. "Wow, gee, that really means a lot,"

Heather gave a cheeky grin, showing off her dimples, and cocked her head to the side innocently. Veronica felt herself heat up as she couldn't take her eyes away. Heather noticed, also looking at Veronica with an unfamiliar look in her eyes. Veronica gave a little cough, bringing both if them back to the present. 

"So..." Veronica began, trying to change the subject and take her mind off how God damn beautiful Heather was, "I'm not being funny but, you're pretty damn rich. You wouldn't have to work a day in your life and your still be rich. Why on earth would you become a math teacher at Westerberg High School?"

Heather, grateful for the fact that they were ignoring the moment they had just shared, smiled genuinely and got lost in thought. "I've always been good with numbers. As a teenager, I was the Demon Queen, everyone worshipped me. As well as this, everyone thought I was just your usual airheaded bitch, but I'm not. I wanted to prove them wrong, so I actually tried hard, and got good grades. The practicality of maths drew me to it, the fact that you're either right or wrong, none of that opinionated English bullshit,"

  
At that little jab at the end, Veronica scoffed and was about to comment when Heather continued, "Guess I still wanted to prove that after school. One day, I'll take over the family business, seeing as I'm an only child, so for now... I need to actually do what I want to do while I still can. Besides, maths will be useful for when I'm running the business won't it?"

Veronica shrugged. She couldn't argue with that. Something in the way Heather spoke resonated with Veronica, there was a slight hint of sadness behind it, some sort of wishful thinking that maybe she could create her own path in life. Veronica originally thought Heather was lucky to have her whole life cut out for her, to be guaranteed success with no nasty surprises or any hard work, but now... it sucked. To have absolutely no say in what you're going to be spending the rest of your life doing, and to have such a big responsibility placed on you... well, Heather was certainly a lot stronger than her.

"Heather, do you even want to run the business?" Veronica asked quietly, staring into Heather's eyes. This seemed like the kind of time when they should use first names, Veronica wanted to show her genuine care for Heather.

Heather took a sharp intake of breath, blinking slowly. She gave a small, barely noticeable, shake of her head and stared right back at Veronica. 

Veronica glanced at Heather's lips. Her blood red lips. They looked... remarkably soft. Internally, she felt very uncomfortable for even thinking something like that, about Heather Chandler of all people. However, Veronica felt herself lose all control and began to move forward. Heather noticed this and widened her eyes but didn't move away.

Suddenly, Veronica came to her senses and snapped her head back, staring at Heather in fear. Heather averted her eyes, cleared her throat and stood up, hiding the fact that her cheeks were tinted red. Veronica did the same, overall relieved that Heather wasn't literally murdering her. That was... Something. She must be really fucking tired.

Wait, what time was it actually?

She checked her watch and was shocked to find that it was a hell of a lot later than she had realised.

"Shit, I gotta go!" Veronica exclaimed, grabbing her supplies.

Suddenly, Heather placed a hand on Veronica's arm as she muttered "Don't go..." pleadingly.

Veronica raised her eyebrows as Heather added, "Y'know, it's way too late to be out now. Why don't you...stay over?"

Veronica felt her breath catch in her throat as a million thoughts raced through her mind. Heather's facial expression showed that she clearly knew what she had just asked and just how serious it was. Obviously, there was no meaning behind it, but it sounded that way, and if Veronica could barley survive and evening in the Chandler household, how on Earth was she going to survive a night?

"Oh no no, I couldn't..."

"Don't be stupid, you're more than welcome,"

"I don't have any pyjamas!"

"You can borrow mine,"

"Really, I-"

"Sawyer," Heather cut off, "you're staying, I insist. Now, I'll grab you some stuff to wear and I'll make some coffee. Sound good?"

Veronica could only nervously nod as she stood wondering what the hell was going on.

  
__________________________________________

Was Heather trying to make her die of embarrassment?

Veronica stood looking at herself in the mirror, her messy hair out of its usual bun, her glasses off her face, and a very very tight pair of pyjamas. Heather had given her _booty shorts._

 _This has to be some sort of sick joke, right_?

Veronica sighed as she pushed open the bathroom door and stepped timidly into the kitchen. Heather had her back to her, casually making coffee, humming a quiet tune to herself. She heard Veronica and turned around, her eyes focused on the coffee she was holding.

"Sawyer! You're out finally. I was starting to think you'd died or something-"

She looked up and almost dropped her coffee. Her eyes trailed up Veronicas legs, up her body, until wide blue eyes locked with brown ones. It sent shivers up Veronicas spine, and she instinctively crossed her arms self consciously.

"They're a little tight..." she mumbled, not meeting Heather's gaze.

"You have really long legs-" Heather spluttered without thinking, and then quickly stopped herself. "- not in like a lesbo way or anything!" She protested, getting more flustered by the second.

Veronica, sensing that this was going nowhere, ignored the butterflies that formed in her stomach at the compliment, and instead gave small smile and sat on one of the fancy chairs. Heather shuffled over, carefully placed down the coffee, and shuffled away as quickly as possible, completely avoiding eye contact.

_What's her damage?_

"So, Chandler, do you want me to give these clothes back to you after I've washed them or do you want me to just leave them here in the morning?". Veronica took a sip of her coffee, looking down at the some of the notes she had taken during their planning session.

"You can keep them," Heather answered bluntly from the other side of the kitchen, "your PJs are probably gross and shit, and those ones.... kind of suit you I guess."

"Thank you, I think?" Veronica said, raising an eyebrow and then continuing to drink her coffee.

A few minutes passed and Heather seemed to be against any kind of conversation so Veronica decided to get some work done.

"I'm gonna go do a bit of marking, if that's alright?" Veronica requested, standing up and downing the rest of her coffee.

"Yeah sure, fuck off, I don't care," Heather grumbled.

Veronica laughed and went to go sit on the sofa, which was considerably more comfortable than the chair she was sat on before. She got straight to work, and after a few moments, Heather joined her in the living room, sitting on the arm chair opposite. 

Unfortunately, Veronica was finding it pretty hard to concentrate due to the fact that she knew Hetaher was staring at her. Every time she looked up, they would make eye contact and then Heather would quickly look away. They'd done that five times now. Veronica tried her best to ignore her and get on with her work but it was so hard when you know the Mythic Bitch keeps staring at your legs and blushing. 

To Veronica's relief, Heather eventually got up and said she was going to get changed. Realising she can now actually get on with things, Veronica got back into her work, not even noticing when Heather returned. She sat back in her armchair and crossed her legs, looking at Veronica expectantly. Veronica looked up, was about to say something, and then saw Heather. Really saw her.

To say she was beautiful would be an understatement. Obviously, Heather was known for her looks, but seeing her sat there, one leg draped elgantly over the other, as she was scarcely clad in a short, silky red robe, her golden locks cascading down her back and over her shoulders, well it was quite an experience. It was mesmerising. Veronica felt privileged to see Heather Chandler without a hint of makeup, her usually vibrant red lips being a light shade of pink, her skin pale and full of light freckles dusted over her nose and cheeks. 

She must have stared for a bit too long because after a moment, Heather snarkily commented, "Its rude to stare you know?"

Veronica shook her head, gathered her belongings, and announced she was going to sleep. At this point, she wasn't getting anywhere so she may as well get a decent nights sleep. Heather went to go and grab a blanket so Veronica could sleep on the sofa, leaving Veronica to reflect on the very eventful evening she'd had. So much had happened, it had fried Veronicas brain and frankly, she didn't know how Heather felt about her at this point. Sometimes she was mocking her and shouting at her, but sometimes she was begging her to stay the night. It was tiring to say the least.

"Here's an old blanket I found," Heather said as she entered the room, clutching a soft red blanket. Did this girl have any colour other than red?

"Oh, and Sawyer..." Heather began sheepishly, handing Veronica the blanket, "Sorry about earlier."

"Earlier?" Veronica questioned, cautiously taking the blanket.

"With the whole photo thing. I shouldn't have snapped. My family.... it's a sensitive topic..."

"Its fine, really. I shouldn't have snooped. That's your private business." Veronica smiled reassuringly as Heather just nodded.

"Goodnight Sawyer,"

"Goodnight Chandler,"

**____________________________________________**

_Veronica groggily opened her eyes and took in her unfamiliar surroundings. She seemed to be inside the hallways of Westerberg but something was... off_.

" _R_ _onnie!" A familiar voice came from behind. Veronica knew exactly who it was_.

_Wait, this wasn't right. Heather Chandler never called Veronica by her first name, let alone a nickname._

_When Veronica turned around, the woman she saw wasn't Heather Chandler. She had the same hair and the same clothes but she was significantly smaller and had a blurred face._

_The girl. The girl from her childhood. The girl who wouldn't leave her mind. The girl who wore a red scrunchie._

_Suddenly, Veronica was shorter and thinner, and she realised that she was a child again. She raced over to the girl and threw her arms around her. They embraced and stayed locked together for what felt like hours, before breaking apart and looking at eachother._

_The girl no longer had a blurred face, but rather a black mask. Veronica longed to see the face, the missing piece of the puzzle, and so she grasped the mask and yanked it down._

_..._

_...She was falling._

_Down, down, down. Lower, deeper faster, darker. Into the bottomless abyss. Veronica prepared for impact, but nothing came. Instead Veronica opened her eyes to Archie, but with dark hair and dark eyes._

_'Archie?" Veronica said cautiously, taking a wary step closer, "Is that you?"_

_He let out a piercing scream, causing Veronica to leap back. She felt her heart pound and the moment Archie charged forward, Veronica turned and ran. Her feet thudded heavily along the ground, yet she felt no pain. She ran for ages and ages but never felt out of breath. She checked over her shoulder quickly and saw that Archie was gone, and let out a sigh of relief._

_In the blink of an eye, Veronica was sat at a small dinner table. Looking around, she saw that the participants were Heather, Mac, and JD. Veronica, confused, look down at her plate and saw the words "red". Ominous._

_"So you've forgotten me then?" JD spoke angrily, glaring at Veronica._

_"I- what?"_

_"You've left me for her?" He pointed at Heather accusingly, to which Heather just grinned._

_"JD, what are you talking about?" Veronica pleaded, just wanting to get some sort of answers out of this strange experience._

_Rather than giving Veronica the answers she craved, JD stood up and skulked away into the darkness. Mac continued to stare at Veronica, her eyes the size of dinnerplates. Literally the size of dinnerplates, it was very unnerving. Heather reached over and grasped Veronicas hand, tearing her attention from Mac. She kissed it lightly and then looked back up at Veronica._

_"Don't go"_

_The words rang in her ears as Heather leaned in and Veronica felt her eyes close as she slowly leaned forward to meet Heather._

  
__________________________________________ 

  
...

  
_Fuck_

The strong smell of bacon wafted through the air as Veronica wearily rubbed her eyes. She looked around to see she was in Heather's living room and remembered last night. And then she remembered the dream.

Veronica groaned loudly and lay back down. Kissing Heather Chandler... It was one of her stranger dreams but it didn't mean anything. She'd been through a lot over the past week or two, so her mind was in a crazy state, making her have all of these confusing thoughts and feelings. Yep, that's what it was.

Heather was undoubtedly attractive, which was something Veronica knew. It was something everyone knew.

Veronica had questioned her sexuality many times. The fact that her eyes drifted towards attractive women on the street, the fact that when asked who she would prefer to be with, a man or woman, both popped into her mind. 

But that had nothing to do with this. That was a problem for another day, as was this whole Heather dream thing. She'd forget about this soon, as it really, truly did mean nothing at all.

Although she still probably wouldn't bring it up at breakfast.

A weird thing was that with everything else in the dream, Veronica felt nothing. No physical contact and no emotion. Her falling, her talking to JD, her pulling down that mask, she felt empty. Howver, she felt Heather. The kiss on the top of her hand sent Veronica's heart racing, and when Heather looked back up, She had felt a shiver go up her spine. And when their lips met... it was like there were fireworks going off, and everything else faded away.

The sound of Heather shouting a string of curse words made Veronica decide it was time to get up and see what the hell was going on.

"Morning," Veronica grumbled, plodding into the kitchen, where Heather was dishing up breakfast, "what was that shouting about?"

Heather huffed angrily, throwing the pan into the sink. "Stupid fucking cooker burnt my fucking finger. Piece of shit,"

Veronica laughed loudly, taking a seat and tucking in. She had to admit, Heather was surprisingly good at cooking, this was the crispiest bacon she had ever tasted. 

"So, Sawyer, did you sleep well?" Heather asked, taking a seat across from Veronica and biting into an apple.

"Yeah I slept alright," Veronica said, shrugging. Her mind drifted back to the... events... of the dream. Nope. No thank you. "Did you?"

Heather gave mishchievous grin and stared right into Veronica's eyes. She swallowed her apple, and simply stated, "I had very sweet dreams,"

Veroncia gave a small nod, not really wanting to ask what they could have been about. Heather might ask her the same thing, and then she'd have a quite a bit of explaining to do. 

"I'm glad" Veronica said, smiling genuinely, and then continuing to eat her bacon.

"You are so good at cooking!" She exclaimed as she took another bite and devoured it in her mouth.

Heather chuckled, replying "Yeah, obviously, I'm good at everything. Anyway, it's just bacon, pretty easy. But yeah, I'm just naturally amazing, I suppose,"

Veronica rolled her eyes as Heather added "You seem like the type to be shit at cooking, no offence,"

"None taken. I am pretty terrible, I mostly just live on take-outs," Veronica admitted, embarassed to be telling Heather Chandler how sad and unhealthy her life was. 

"Well maybe we can bake a cake together sometime, I'll teach you," Heather offered, grinning at a blushing Veronica.

Currently malfunctioning, Veronica could only nod at the fact that Heather wanted to spend more time with her. There was something about the mischievous glint in Heather's eyes as she said "I'll teach you", her lips quirking up slightly, that sent Veronica's mind into a frenzy.

Suddenly, for some insane reason, Veronica got a burst of confidence and said "are you insinuating that you want me to come over again?". Inwardly, Veronica was screaming, but on the outside she raised an eyebrow and gave a teasing smile.

Heather's eyes widened and she stuttered for a few moments, trying to spout out all the excuses in the book. Eventually, admitting defeat, she mumbled that she wouldn't mind Veronica coming round again.

Veronica triumphantly went back to her bacon. She liked being confident once in a while getting Heather all flustered.

On second thought, Heather was getting flustered quite frequently recently. Sometimes she lost all her air of superiority around Veronica. It was sort of cute. Platonically speaking, of course.

The conversation died down as Veronica began to daydream and Heather got up to clear away the stuff on the table. Veronica came back to reality just as Heather went over to her sink and grabbed something off the side that Veronica hadn't noticed before. A red scrunchie. As Heather began to tie her hair up, Veronica's mind clicked and everything clicked into place.

She had met Heather Chandler before. When she was four years old.

She was the girl.

Now when Veronica reminisced, she could see the face as clear as day. The big bright blue eyes, the rosy cheeks, the light freckles, _Heather's face_.

This was crazy. Absolutely crazy. Veronica leapt up and ran over to Heather, who was shocked at the sudden outburst.

"Sawyer, what the hell-"

"Its you!" Veronica exclaimed, eyes darting around Heather's face, "You're the girl!"

Heather stared blankly at Veronica, who added "You're the girl I met 20 years ago!"

Heather furrowed her brow, asking "20 years ago? When I was 3? What are you talking about?"

"Right, about 20 or so years ago I met a girl who wore red and had a red scrunchie and we immediately clicked and then she had to leave and ever since then I haven't been able to remember her face but I can remember she had blonde hair and a red scrunchie and you have a red scrunchie so when I saw your red scrunchie it clicked and now I can see that it's clearly you and-"

"Sawyer!" Heather barked, causing Veronica to stop and breathe, "Slow down! Are you sure it's me?"

Veronica gazed at Heather. This woman whom she had despised not so long ago, this woman that had at first made her life hell and now gave her butterflies when she smiled, this woman who made her blush when she did the whole cocking her head thing. She thought back to the girl who had smiled the same way Heather did, who had given Veronica the same butterflies, who had plagued Veronica thoughts for so long...

"Yes." Veronica stated confidently, "Now, can you remember me?"

Heather looked deep into Veronica's eyes, searching for answers. Veronica felt herself heat up at the intense gaze, yet she couldn't break eye contact. Eventually, Heathers eyebrows shot up and she broke out into a wide smile.

"Holy shit I didn't recognize you at all!"

"How the hell did you not recognize me? Was I blurry in your thoughts too?"

"No, but it was 20 years ago! You were 4! And you introduced yourself as Ronnie back then, and now you're Veronica, and I didn't really put 2 and 2 together, so..."

Veronica laughed and, without thinking, threw her arms around Heather. The other girl tensed for a moment before awkwardly returning the hug. They stayed like that, wrapped in each others warm embrace, for a while before reluctantly breaking apart and smiling at eachother. After a moment or two, Heather finally broke the silence.

"You do look really good in those shorts."

Veronica blushed furiously, stuttering a loud "Chandler!"

"What? I'm just being honest! You should wear shorts more often, you have the legs for it,"

Veronica felt like if Heather said anything else, she might just die of embarrassment right here, so she wisely went to go get changed.

If school is anything like this, it should be fun.

**___________________________________________**

Veronica groaned as she took in the usual Monday morning feeling. Students were looking grumpy, the whole staff was half asleep, and to top it all off it was raining. However, this Monday was slightly different as she had Heather Chandler walking alongside her. 

Heather had insisted that Veronica should wait for her near the gates so they could walk in together. No objection Veronica made would change Heather's mind, so she agreed. So here they were, walking in to school with eachother, causing all the students to go crazy, as expected.

Ok, so "crazy" might have been be slight hyperbole, but they were certainly noticing. People doing double takes, registering the situation, whispering to their friend and then falling into a fit of giggles. Those things, in that order, without fail.

Veronica had learned to ignore it by now. She'd decided that students were just trying to understand the fact that not long ago, Heather and Veronica had hated eachother, but now they were friends. For some reason, that seemed insane to them, but Veronica wasn't going to judge.

Before she knew it, she was lost in thought, as was a regular occurrence. Her mind reflected on the whole discovering Heather was the girl from her childhood thing. Quite a shock at first, but now it seemed so obvious. The girl was so Heather-like, and she clearly had a connection with Veronica, just like with Heather-

No. Absolutely not. There was no "connection" between her and Heather, they were just work colleagues who kind of hated eachother but also got along well, that's all. None of that connection bullshit.

...But she did dream about Heather. And the dream was... unique? Is that a suitable word for describing the fact that you dreamt about kissing your best friend/worst enemy? Anyway, it meant nothing, dreams are just made up stuff your brain comes up with when it's tired, it's not like it reflects actual feelings.

_Yeah, you keep telling yourself that_

"Veronica!" JD greeted suddenly, standing in front of the two girls. He glanced at Heather, his expression dark, "Chandler."

Heather rolled her eyes and gave a dramatic sigh. "What is it with you two losers and calling me by my last name?"

JD ignored her. "Veronica, do you have time to chat?"

Before Veronica could answer, Heather quickly said "No, we were actually in the middle of something-"

"Yeah, JD we can talk now." Veronica cut in, gaining a triumphant grin from the dark haired man before her.

A look of hurt flashed across Heather's face, before she regained the bitch face and grunted a "fine" before marching off down the hallway.

JD stared after her with a shit-eating grin for moment, before turning back to Veronica. 

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Veronica asked, registering the fact that she wasn't feeling nervous and flustered around him anymore.

_I wonder if Heather's ok..._

"Oh nothing in particular, just a bit of a chat, it feels like I haven't seen you in ages,"

"I've been busy" Veronica stated bluntly, noticing how greasy JD's hair really was. Ew, he needed a shower.

JD nodded, running a hand through said hair. Clearly he noticed Veronica frowning at it.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Heather lately..." He commented, shrugging and looking at the floor. 

Veronica scowled. "And?"

JD looked up in shock at Veronica's sudden annoyance. "Nothing!" JD said quickly, trying to reassure her, "I just thought you didn't like her. I mean, you do call eachother by your last names, so maybe you don't like eachother that much..."

"Its a thing we do," Veroncia explained, suddenly realising that, yes, maybe it was weird to call eachother by surnames when you're at least friends.   
"She's not too bad."

"But- But she's a bitch?"

"Can we not talk about this?" Veronica said firmly, "If you've just come here to berate me on my choice in friends, I'm not interested."

Veronica was almost as shocked as JD at her sudden rudeness. Normally, she was totally infatuated with what he had to say, hanging on to his every word, but now she just felt pissed off and wanted to go talk to Heather.

"Sorry, Veronica," JD mumbled gingerly, avoiding eye contact.

There was an awkward silence, neither really knowing how to react to this weird turn of events. Veronica felt guilty, and thought that maybe she should apologise, but she did mean everything she said. She was sick of people constantly bitching about Heather when they didn't really know her. They didn't know how passionate she could get when talking about something she loved. They didn't know about her witty, sarcastic sense of humour that could make Veronica laugh so hard her stomach hurt. They didn't know about how Heather's smile could flip Veronicas world upside down.

_Sounds like somebody likes Heather a bit too much-_

"JD, do dreams mean anything?" Veronica blurted out suddenly, desperately trying to ignore the voice in the back of her mind.

JD was taken aback for a moment, as he surveyed Veronica. Eventually, he frowned and said "No... I don't think so"

Veronica breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and turned to walk away. She really didn't feel like saying goodbye. It was hard to even function. There were far too many things going on in her mind that she had to deal with. And she had to deal with them quickly.

Previously, when she thought of someone who she thought was attractive, someone like JD would come into her head. A rugged, dangerous bad boy.

Now it was a woman wearing an unusual amount of red.

But that didn't mean anything... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My god, they are so gay for each other.
> 
> Greetings and Salutations! I got this chapter out way sooner and I'm pretty proud of that tbh. Hopefully I keep this up, but I highly doubt it lmao. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and see you next chapter!
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBiscuit


	8. Can't get you out of my head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather and Veronica do a joint lesson, and Veronica comes to a shocking realisation.

She hated to admit it, but she was bored.

Class had ended ages ago, and it seemed everyone had something to do except for Veronica. Normally she would have some sort of marking or planning to do, something she needed to write, something she needed to read. But now, for the first time, she was all caught up on her work. And she hated it.

Of course, the one time she got all her work done wasn't when she actually needed free time, it was when she definitely didn't need free time. 

She tapped her pen absentmindedly on the table, hoping to maybe get lost in her thoughts as a way to pass the time, but nothing came. Well... no good thoughts came. Of course, a few things did come to mind, things that she really ought to think about, but she really really didn't want to. So much shit had happened, it was impossible to have a clear mind. 

Now was the absolute perfect time to have a book, any book at all. Veronica craved something to read, something to get lost in, a welcome distraction from all the noise in her head. It was overwhelming and frankly, she just didn't want to deal with it right now. 

Of course, the one time she needed a book, really needed one, her drawer and bag was empty. Any other day she would have work to do and a book to read, but no. 

She searched the room, praying that maybe she'd left something on a shelf or a cabinet somewhere, but she didn't have any luck. She returned to her desk, slumping into her chair in defeat, deciding what her next plan of action was. She had literally nothing to do other than what she was afraid of... thinking about what was going on.

Veronica didn't like conflict. She didn't like problems. She didn't like struggle. She was ashamed to admit that she was one of those people who swept problems under the rug and made sure to step on them as she walked over said rug, just to... try and kill them without actually dealing with them. Yes, it meant that sometimes, things that should have been dealt with didn't get dealt with, but it also avoided her having to, god forbid, actually address her problems. 

But what happens when you have so many problems, issues, concerns, and confusion that they can't fit in your house, let alone under your rug? What do you do then?

She sighed, furrowing her brow. You deal with them.

Having a free period meant that Veronica had some time to properly reflect on what had happened over the last few days. It was crazy how only a matter of days ago, she was just an ordinary English Teacher, with no friends and no social life, just sort of... trudging along through her time at work. She had nothing going for her, nothing to look forward to, and nothing to look back on. Now however, all that was down the drain. She'd met Heather, they'd hated eachother, she'd got close to JD, then got close to Heather, then got really close to Heather, then began to go off JD, and now she was sat here, wondering just what to do next. 

Why is it, that she had to have such.a boring life for 24 years, and when she was actually coming to terms with it and even getting used to it, _this_ happened? 

Sure, she was probably getting herself worked up over nothing, and she was probably just acting and thinking strange because Heather was actually someone she liked (As a friend, of course. Only platonic feelings here), but that didn't stop those thoughts in her head.

_Friend? Do friends almost kiss?_

Her and Heather didn't almost kiss. They just... leaned forward a bit. They were tired and worn out, neither knew what they were doing. They didn't even lean in that close, Heather probably just lost her balance, which was why she went forward. Ok that was a long shot, and it didnt explain why Veronica leaned forward as well, but she was desperate here.

It meant nothing, and it was just a one off.

_Why don't you like JD anymore then?_

She did like JD. He was intelligent and witty and he was endearing... sort of. But... he just didn't give Veronica the same feelings he used to. She wasn't sure why that was, but it was normal, wasn't it? They say if a crush lasts more than a few months, it's love. She just clearly didnt love him, which was a relief more than anything. She'd lost her feelings for him, for whatever reason, and that was completely normal.

 _Y_ ou've _got feelings for someone else, haven't you?_

No, she didn't. No other feelings. She wasn't sure why her mind was coming up with these crazy insinuations, but they were wrong. Yes, she'd lost her feelings for JD, but she hadn't got feelings for anyone else.

"What's your damage, Sawyer?" Heather said loudly, entering Veronica's classroom and almost giving her a heart attack, "Did you eat a brain tumour for breakfast?"

"I- uh- what?" Veronica asked, still slightly in a daze.

Heather rolled her eyes. "Such a Pillowcase. You were just staring at nothing, and your face was, like, really panicked. You ok?"

Veronica nodded and smiled genuinely, "yeah, just deep in thought."

Heather, satsified with Veronica's answer, changed the subject. "Right well screw your head on because we have a lesson in about... fifteen minutes or so."

Shit, she had completely forgotten. Way to go, you spend the whole weekend working on the joint lesson, and now your forgetting all about it because you're too busy thinking about Heather Chandler.

Heather sighed and shook her head, knowing that Veronica had forgotten.

"Right, well, you know now. Let's get going, I'll be damned if your strange mood today ruins my lesson"

Bit harsh.

Veronica quickly got up, not wanting to piss Heather off anymore, and followed after her like a lost puppy. Heather's curls seemed especially bouncy today and Veronica found herself marvelling at them, desperately wanting to stroke them.

_Jesus, Veronica, get your head sorted. Stop thinking about her hair. It's nice hair, but we have more pressing matters._

Right, yeah, this lesson thing. It was maths, which wasn't her strong suit, but she'd survive. Her plan was to let Heather take the reigns and she would back her up whenever was necessary. Overall, she just wanted to get through this with no fights and no students being weird. Probably too much to ask, but a girl can dream.

They arrived at the classroom and Veronica spotted that Heather had put more decorations up since the last time she was here. Sure, it was just boring, out of date maths posters that were so faded you could hardly read them, but it was something. Veronica smiled as she got a waft of Heather's distinct perfume from the room, and smiled even more When she saw Heather's desk.

There were a selection of items there, all very fitting to her personality. Some ridiculously expensive lipstick, a mirror, a magazine, and to Veronicas surprise... A book. Veronica didn't even know Heather could read. Ok so that may have been a slight exaggeration, but still. She stepped closer, curious to read the title of the book that could actually interest the Demon Queen. As she read it, she realised that it was in fact, her book. The book she was reading at the minute, about the girl at high school and her rival. The book that had gone missing a few days ago. 

Heather dashed forward and grabbed the book, her face a bright shade of red. She shifted awkwardly and gave a slight, embarassed smile and Veronica frowned.

"Why... do you have my book? Do you even like reading?" Veronica questioned as Heather bit her lip nervously.

"Not exactly... I just sort of found it and... I was gonna give it back to you, honestly! But then I read the first couple of pages and it was pretty good..."

Veronica smiled affectionately and gave a small giggle, causing Heather to raise an eyebrow. "It's fine, you can keep it if you want."

"What? No, it's yours, I don't need it."

"I've pretty much finished it. Besides, if you read it, then we can discuss it together"

Heathers lips quirked up as she shrugged, placing the book back down. 

"She should get with the rival." Veronica said quietly, not quite knowing what she was doing.

"Sorry?" 

"The protagonist" Veronica explained, "I think her and the leader of those popular girls would have been a cute couple,"

"Oh" Heather said, giving a small smile, "but isn't the protagonist with that weird guy? Well, she is in the bit I'm at"

Veronica shrugged, "yeah, She stays with him. But I was always rooting for her and the leader girl,"

"Don't they hate eachother?"

"...Sometimes you may not like someone, but then when you get to know them... you realise that you like them a lot more than you thought,"

Both girls were silent for a moment, processing what was just said. Heather stared at Veronica with a strange look in her eye that Veronica couldn't quite understand. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again, changing her mind. 

Heather carefully placed the book back on the table, and then looked back at Veronica. "I think that they would have been a cute couple as well."

"It's a shame they never get together. Maybe neither of them got the courage to say anything."

Heather narrowed her eyes accusingly, studying Veronica, trying to find out just what she was trying to say. 

Veronica coughed and turned around, realising that what she was saying could absolutely be taken the wrong way, and Hetaher would think that was referring to their relationship. 

Ok...So there were some similarities. They initially hated eachother, but then found out that they kind of got along well. And the leader of the group wore a lot of red. And, of course, Veronica related the the protagonist a lot, as she had thought about before. Not only this, but the protagonist had a thing for a greasy loner boy who... was pretty much identical to JD.

So yeah pretty similar. The only difference, however, was quite a big difference. The biggest difference possible, actually.

She didn't like Heather in that way. Her and Heather weren't together, they never would be together, so they couldn't possibly be the protagonist and the rival. 

As friends her and Heather were great, and Veronica really didn't want to ruin that. Oh yeah, she also didn't have feelings for Heather, obviously. That was a reason. Can't forget that.

But say, hypothetically, she did... they'd make a pretty good couple. Heather would be the confident one, who could stand up for Veronica and protect her. Veronica could be the sensible one, who kept Heather safe and made sure that everything worked out for the both of them.

Hell, they could even be a power couple. Hypothetically, of course.

Why was she thinking about this again?

Veronica turned back around to see that during her whole internal monologue thing, Hetaher had been staring at her. The girl in red swiftly averted her gaze and tried to look as innocent as possible.

Veronica was about to open her mouth to call her out but a loud noise from behind them cut her off. Students entered the room like a stampede, not even noticing Veronica. Heather sighed, moving on from what had just happened, and mentally prepared herself for the lesson. 

As expected, when the students actually noticed Veronica, they sent questioning glances her way and began to whisper among themselves. Veronica rolled her eyes, this was becoming rather tedious. Everywhere she looked, everywhere she went, everything she did, the students were muttering and pointing. She'd had quite enough, and considered going to Miss Flemming. No time to think about that now, she had a joint lesson to deal with.

" _Shut up!"_ Heather bellowed, causing the room to instantly fall deadly silent.

Veronica sent a look Heather's way to warn her about shouting so much. Heather sighed and gave a little nod, acknowledging Veronica's request. 

"Right, you lot," Heather began, standing at the front of the room, "today I am joined by Miss Sawyer, who will be... assisting me with my lesson today."

"Don't start talking." She warned as a few students turned to their friends. They only needed to be told once, and immediately gave Heather their full attention once more.

"Please, _please_ don't be brats, guys. I expect good behaviour," Heather sighed wearily, knowing that when it came to teenagers, that was a big ask. 

Veronica felt kind of awkward just standing in the corner, so she made her way over to Heather and stood by her side, their arms brushing together slightly.

"I may not be any good at maths," Veronica said, feeling kind of overwhelmed by the sea of faces before her, "but I'll try my hardest."

Heather nodded, walking away from Veronica. She grabbed a pen, whirled around and said "Shall we get on with it, then?"

She went on some sort of rant about prime numbers, Veronica wasn't really sure. Instead of trying to even begin to understand, she just observed. The last time she had watched Heather, the girl and been boring and repetitive. Now, however, Veronica was actually intrigued with what she was saying. It seemed like Heather had taken some of her advice, which made her smile.

Heather seemed incredibly passionate about what she was teaching, grinning broadly whenever a student had a question, or whenever she completed an example question and the students were blown away on the fact that it actually made sense. She really really cared about her subject, which was one of the most important factors of teaching. 

Veronica remembered the coffee shop, and how Heather had said she was only there because it was her job. Now she was there because teaching kids all about maths was what she wanted to do, job or not. It was... admirable.

The way Heather's voice kept steady and confident the whole way through was remarkable. What she was doing looked so complicated, yet she never wavered. 

Basically, she had really improved, and Veronica had never felt more proud. Heather finished her explanation, and set the students some work to do. She came over to Veronica with a nervous, expectant look on her face.

"That was really good!" Veronica complimented, "Very engaging."

Heather sighed with relief, "Good, I should hope so, I was mind of worried."

Veronica had the urge to tease her, but bit her tongue. She would allow Heather off just this once. 

"Right, take this," Heather said firmly, handing Veronica a pen, "And go check on their answers."

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "I don't... know the answers?"

Chuckling and rolling her eyes, Heather explained "I'm gonna give you the answer sheet, pillowcase

  
**____________________________________________**

That.... wasn't as bad as she had expected.

In fact, Veronica felt like she had actually learned a lot. Not only that, but her and Heather worked together really well, helping eachother out, bouncing off of eachother, making the lesson more entertaining. Miss Flemming was right, they really did work together well. Sure, a few times students weren't paying attention, and a few kids said some cryptic things that Veronica didn't understand, but knew that it was aimed at her. Apart from that, though, it was a success, and Veronica was immensely relieved.

Not as relieved at Heather though, clearly, as she flopped down onto a chair and sighed dramatically. Veronica raised an eyebrow as Heather grumbled a few things under her breath.

"It wasn't that bad, Chandler..." Veronica said, slightly worried that she hadn't actually done that well.

"No, it wasn't terrible..." Heather began, "but it still wore me out."

Veronica shrugged, not really know how to respond. Overall, Heather hadn't really done anything. She gave the instruction, and then sat back down at her desk. It was Veronica who went around interacting with the kids. She wouldn't bring that up, though. Instead, she began to pack up to leave, desperate for at least two cups of coffee.

Heather noticed and quickly said "oh, hey, before you go, can I talk to you for a second?"

Veronica nodded, urging her to continue. Heather looked at the floor for a moment, choosing her words carefully. 

"Right, well-"

"Miss Sawyer! Miss Chandler!"

Heather was interrupted by a girl they had just taught bounding into the classroom. Her face was excited, ecstatic, even. 

"What?" Heather demanded angrily, "We were kind of in the middle of something"

"I needed to speak to you both!" The girl continued, oblivious to heather's annoyance, "Its super important!"

"Get on with it then."

"Well, I just wanted to say that... uh... I ship you two,"

Heather stared blankly as Veronica tried to remember where she had heard that word before.

Oh yeah, on that note by Chelsea. Shed also heard it a couple of times in the students whispers. Heather, however, looked as if she had never heard that word before in her life. Of course, she had heard it before, as Veronica had showed her the note, but that didn't mean that she knew what the hell it meant.

"Ship us?" Heather repeated, frowning, "what do you mean?"

The girl looked confused for a second before a look of realisation crossed her face. "Oh! You don't know what it means?"

Veronica, having had quite enough, spoke up. "Just tell us, we don't have time for this,"

Heather nodded in agreement, but to Veronicas surprise, the girl just burst out laughing. Without another word, she was out the door, her laughter still echoing through the room for a few moments more. Heather and Veronica stood in stunned silence, giving each other a questioning look. 

"Do you have any idea what just happened?" Heather asked, a look of bewilderment on her face.

Veronica shook her head. "Not a clue"

"Me neither. It's bad enough these kids saying cryptic shit behind our backs, but now they're saying it to our _faces_? And I still don't know what shipping means. I may have to look it up in the dictionary."

"I already tried that" Veronica confessed, "it just talked about shipping goods and stuff. We may have to go to Principal Flemming about this, you know."

Heather laughed, shaking her head, "Flemming? God she'll have no idea what it means either, she's way older than us!"

Veronica smiled, raising her eyebrows, "I didn't mean to ask her what it meant. What I'm saying is that it's getting out of hand now. Everywhere we go, students are talking about us. It's getting in the way of our lives and our jobs for fucks sake!"

Heather gave Veronica a sympathetic look, stating "You shouldn't let it get to you so much, they're just kids being dumb. They'll stop eventually."

Veronica was about to protest, before giving in and realising that Heather was probably right.

"God the kids at this place are so strange," Heather said with a disgusted face, "And so are the teachers."

Veronica gave a face of mock surprise and pretended to be deeply offended. "I do hope you aren't referring to me?"

Hetaher laughed, shaking her head, "Obviously not, you pillowcase. I meant that Miss McNamara person. She's alway sneaking off with Miss Duke, and they seem like they're up to no good. Also, she keeps staring at us, especially you."

All the amusement left Veronica as she frowned, remembering that Mac did indeed stare at her a lot. What was her problem? "Yeah you're right... she does stare quite a bit"

"Ah well. Who cares? Let's just move on."

Veronica wanted to talk to Heather a bit more about Mac, but decided against it. Anyway, she had something else to ask.

"What were you going to say earlier, anyway? You know, before we were interrupted."

Heather faltered, seemingly making a big decision. She gulped, turned to Veronica, and had a look that shook Veronica to her core. Heather looked... terrified. Veronica had never seen her like this, someone so confident, so sure of themselves, looking like they wanted nothing more than for the floor to swallow them whole. It was... A pretty strange experience. Heather opened her mouth, closed it again, but Her lip, and then finally began to say what was on her mind.

"Ok so like, totally fine if you don't want to because... well, like... ok I'm just gonna say it..."

Veronica gave a reassuring nod, waiting patiently for Heather to speak. Clearly if it was something that could make Heather Chandler malfunction, it was serious and couldn't be rushed.

"Do you want to go to the movies with me?"

It took a good moment for Veronica to properly process what had just been said. Heather Chandler... was asking to hang out with Veronica and it wasn't for work purposes. With the whole coffee shop thing, and the visit to Heather's house, Heather always said it was to plan or to discuss work, and that's mostly what they did the whole time. Now, however, Heather didn't once mention that it was for work, and not only that, she was _nervous,_ properly nervous! This was different to anything else, and Veronica found herself wondering what this meant for their relationship. 

_You're hoping it's a date, aren't you?_

No, shut up, it's not a date. Obviously, it's not a date. Why would it be? And Veronica didn't want it to be, not at all. Friends go to the movies all the time, it's normal. Totally normal.

Veronica suddenly realised that she ah st said anything for a while, and by the panic on Heather's face, that wasn't a good thing.

"I mean, yeah absolutely!" Veronica said quickly, her voice slightly higher than usual, "I would- I would love that, yeah!"

Heather breathed a sigh of relief and gave a small smile that gave Veronica butterflies, "Thank God. When you were silent for ages, I was so fucking worried,"

"Yeah yeah sorry, just lost in thought, as always. So anyway, when are we doing this movie... outing?"

Don't say date, if you say date then it will seem like an actual date and it is not an actual date.

Heather shrugged, "we could go after school?"

Eyes widening, Veronica questioned "After school? Like... today?"

"That's the plan."

"I.. guess so"

"Great!" Heather beamed, "meet me at seven. Oh and try not to look like a train wreck, it'll make me look bad."

Before Veronica could say anything else, Heather left. Staring after her, Veronica could only wonder what the hell this meant. Admittedly, it was actually quite hard to understand what was going on, as all Veronica could think about was Heather's retreating form.

Her hips swayed like a metronome, causing her short skirt to swish and sway hypnotically. She looked really really good in that skirt, showing off her legs-

And then it hit her.

_Holy shit, I have feelings for Heather Chandler_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally omg. We are literally about 40k words in and Veronica finally admits her feelings.
> 
> Anyway, yeah you're probably a bit confused why I've uploaded like 4 days after my last one, but I got this done sooner than I thought and wanted to get it out. And no, it's not an April fool's, don't worry lmao.
> 
> Thank you for reading and have a great day!
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBiscuit


	9. Feeling Brave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica and Heather go to the movies. Gayness ensues :)

Oh shit.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. This whole time her mind had been right. Veronica was so sure that there were absolutely no feelings between them, but it was so obvious that there were.

Veronica's heart began to beat at an alarming rate whenever she saw Heather. She felt butterflies in her stomach whenever Heather would laugh. The way Heather's blue eyes lit up, practically sparkling, when she was amused made Veronica melt. When Heather touched her, even if it was just a hand on her arm, Veronica's legs would literally turn to jelly and she had to be cautious that she didn't crumple into a pathetic mess of feelings.

How on earth hadn't she noticed it?

Well, really, she had noticed it, she just wanted to deny it. Constantly tell herself that she had not at all fallen for Heather, and that she much preferred JD. Now though, there was no running away. 

Veronica had well and truly fallen for Heather Chandler.

Now there was the slight issue of how the hell she was going to deal with this. Veronica had never been in a relationship before, and had never really fallen for anyone before either. Sure, there were a few crushes here and there, like with JD, but this was different. This was real.

And she was scared.

The way she saw it, this would only end in heartbreak.

Option one was to ignore it and continue to pretend it wasn't true. Sure, it meant she avoided total humiliation from Heather not liking her back, but could she really deal with burying those feelings any more than she already had? And Heather was sure to find out, sure to notice what a mess Veronica was around her. Veronica was obvious enough anyway, but now she actually knew how she felt, Heather would probably catch on to what was going on in a heartbeat.

Ok, so option number two. Never talk to Heather again until you eventually lose any feelings for her. Admittedly, it didn't seem like the most pleasing option, but it would, again, save her from embarrassment, and it would make the problem go away. 

But could she handle staying away from Heather? Even now, she craved to see her again, yearned to talk to her, make her smile, just spend every minute with her.

...God she's fallen hard.

And finally, option 3. Tell Heather how she felt. Just the thought of it made Veronica's heart stop. Visions of Heather laughing at her, mocking her, for even thinking that the Demon Queen, the most beautiful woman in the world, could ever like a boring, awkward, insufferable know-it-all like Veronica Sawyer. That would ruin their friendship and Heather would never speak to her again.

Veronica groaned. There was literally no way out of this. She thought she was immune to Heather's allure, but alas, she had fallen into her trap and now she was doomed.

Alright, so maybe she was being slightly melodramatic, but she had just come to a shocking revelation, so her mind wasn't exactly in the best place.

She bit her lip, closing her eyes and praying that an answer would appear, a way to solve this mess she was in, but nothing came. 

All that came to her was a greasy boy in trenchcoat. 

"Hey! You doing alright there?" JD asked, concern etched into his features.

"Wonderful," Veronica said and gave her best, most convincing fake-smile. It didn't work. 

"...Right" JD said skeptically, "well anyway, I need to talk to you. You know how I asked if you wanted to go for drinks the other day?"

Veronica thought back to when she was absolutely over the moon at JDs invite. Now, she cursed herself for accepting his offer. Still, she nodded politely as JD gave a smirk.

"Would you want to go after school? There's a great bar across the street and you look like you need a break."

"Well actually, I'm kind of busy tonight..." Veronica confessed, desperately avoiding eye contact. She could still clearly see JDs face fall slightly before he regained his composure and his smirk.

"Ah, no worries, maybe some other night. So, what is it you're doing tonight, then?"

Veronica sighed. "I'm... going to the movies with someone." she said quietly.

JD stared at her as if she'd just kicked a puppy. He looked heartbroken and Veronica almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"Oh... I see" he mumbled, eyes staring at his boots, "may I ask who with?"

Veronica grimaced, dreading what his reaction would be. How would you react to your crush saying they're going to the movies with your worst enemy? And, surprise! They may have feelings for them as well. This was going to absolutely destroy him.

Still, Veronica confidently and shamelessly said "Heather Chandler."

JDs expression turned from disappointment, to confusion, to shock and then to absolute horror.

"You're going out with _Heather Chandler_?" he cried, causing Veronica to wince, "are you crazy?"

"We're not 'going out', JD, we're just two friends spending some time together, what's wrong with that?"

"I just..." JD shook his head in disbelief, "I don't understand how you like her."

Veronica felt a sudden wave of confidence crash through her. She was sick and tired of him judging Heather. She wasn't sure why, but she needed to defend her.

"Because I do, ok?" She said angrily, "Because she makes me laugh. Because she's actually super sweet. Because she makes me feel good about myself. Because before her, I had nothing in my life, but now I actually enjoy myself. I'm sorry if that's so hard for you to understand, JD, but that's just how I feel."

JD looked utterly bewildered at Veronica's outburst. "I can't believe it. They were right..."

Veronica's confidence left her, and confusion swept over her instead. "What are you talking about?"

JD blinked and shook his head, "Nothing, no-one. I'm sorry, I have to go."

He began to hurry off before stopping for a moment and looking over his shoulder. His eyes held a great sadness, as if everything he had ever wanted had just been snatched away from him. He gave a smile full of sorrow. 

"I wish you all the best, Veronica. If that means seeing you with her all the time, then so be it. She's who you want, after all."

Veronica was about to protest and deny any sort of romantic involvement, but JD scurried away before she could say a word. She was left standing in the middle of a lonely, empty hallway, feeling more guilt than she had ever felt before.

  
**____________________________________________**

  
Veronica was not a stylish person.

So when you're not a stylish person and you have to pick out an outfit for a date- no -an outing, with Heather Chandler, what the hell do you do?

She couldn't wear her signature turtle neck obviously, she wanted to make an effort. Was it too cold for a t-shirt? The weatherman said it was going to be warm that evening, but can you ever trust the weatherman? Maybe she should wear a t-shirt and then take a jacket just in case? If it got to hot, she could carry it.

Ok so... a t-shirt and jacket. She'd been figuring this out for an hour and all she'd come up with was that she was going to wear some sort of T-shirt and some sort of jacket.

Veronica groaned and put her head in her hands. Heather told her not to look like a train wreck, and she'd probably look as beautiful as always, and then she'd judge Veronica and Veronica would just spend her whole time feeling embarassed because she looked terrible and Heather looked like a fucking model because of course she did and-

_Breath, Veronica, calm down. You got this._

Veronica took a moment to gather herself. Once she was sure she wasn't going to freak out again, she took another look at her clothes. There was a plain white t-shirt that would look good with the jeans she had. Also, it was slightly baggy, so she could even tuck it in loosely. Perfect, not so hard, was it?

And for the jacket... a denim jacket would be ok, right? 

Veronica checked her watch and was mortified to see that she had to leave in at the latest, ten minutes.

Yep, denim jacket is fine.

She got changed, put her contact lenses in, took her hair out of its bun, and finally got on her way. She had decided against makeup, as she wasn't particularly the best at it and she didn't want to overdress. This was just a casual... hanging out thing. With her crush. No biggie.

Ok yes biggie, this was a very big biggie. She was actually hanging out with Heather Chandler, and could possibly be going on a date, she didn't really know, and did she mention it was with _Heather Chandler,_ whom she kind of, sort of, really fancied.

Although that didn't matter did it? Heather wouldn't like her back, hell she was probably straight. Veronica went back to worrying over how she was going to deal with this and barely noticed when she actually arrived at the movie theatre. She smiled at the dazzling bright lights that stood out against the dark night sky, the love-struck teenagers with dopey smiles on their face, the beautiful woman in very tight clothes and golden hair in a red scrunchie.

Wait. 

Holy shit.

Heather leaned casually against the wall outside of the movie theatre. She wore tight, black, skinny ripped jeans and a black leather jacket. It was... quite the contrary to her usual red blazer and pencil skirt. The moonlight shone behind her hair, making her look like glowing goddess, above everyone around her.

Veronica swore she almost drooled but stopped herself at the last moment. She took a deep breath and made her way over to Heather, trying to act as confident as possible. Heather turned, looked Veronica up and down, and then gave a warm smile.

"Nice outfit, Sawyer. You didn't disappoint me."

Veronica tried to hide her relief and acted cool, just nodding and sticking her hands in her pockets. Suddenly, she remembered that she actually hadn't complimented Heather yet, and by the disappointed look on the blonde's face, that was not a good thing.

"Oh! And you look... lovely as well," Veronica complimented, nodding at Heather.

"Obviously, I always look great," Heather scoffed, but she looked pleased "now come on, we're gonna be late for this shitty movie."

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Well, you chose it. Why would you choose to see a shitty movie?"

Heather didn't answer, instead strutting inside, leaving Veronica to catch up. Once they were inside, and the sickly smell of popcorn hit them like a truck, they saw that there was short queue to the ticket desk, so Veronica and Heather were left to stand rather close to eachother for a while. Veronica felt herself heat up, whereas Heather had a blank expression her face. After a moment or two, she looked at Veronica as if she was trying to figure something out. Finally, after looking at her for an excruciatingly uncomfortable amount of time, she looked Veronica in the eyes and bit her lip, causing Veronica's heart to thump out of her chest.

"You look nice without glasses, " she commented softly, never breaking eye contact, "and with your hair down. It's like how you looked that night at my place."

"Gee, Chandler, by saying it like that, you make it sound like we slept together."

Veronica didn't exactly think about what she said before the words were falling out of her mouth and Heather's eyes widened slightly. Her resting bitch face fell and Veronica swore Heather's breath caught in her throat. 

"Woah ok, that sounded weird," Veronica rambled, rubbing the back of her neck, "I didn't... Like.... I didn't mean it in a weird way- I was just kidding, y'know, and-"

"Sawyer." Heather said firmly, cutting Veronica off, "Shut up."

Heather's tone was light hearted and teasing, but Veronica shut up anyway. Luckily, they were saved from any more interaction as the queue had cleared and they were at the desk. A greasy boy stood behind it, and his and his jaw hit the floor when he saw Heather. The way his eyes travelled down her body made Veronicas skin crawl. Heather, however, looked unaffected.

"Hey, can we get two tickets to Pet Semetary?"

The boy grabbed the tickets as quick as possible, and as he handed them to Heather, their hand briefly touched. The look on his face was beyond creepy. This made Heather falter slightly, a look of disgust on her face, but she quickly got her signature fake grin back again.

"Thanks. And can we get some popcorn?" 

Veronica began to stare into space as Heather got the popcorn and handed over the money. As her and Heather walked away, the guy was quite clearly staring at Heather's ass. Heather noticed, and practically growled. She spun around with a face like thunder and marched over to the boy. 

"Hey, buddy." She barked, causing the him to recoil, "It's bad enough that you get a boner when we touch hands, and it's bad enough that you look at me like I'm a piece of meat, but to have the audacity to quite clearly look at my fucking ass as I walk away? How pathetic can you be? I'm a person, not an object, so start fucking treating me like one and quit making girls like me feel uncomfortable. Maybe if you weren't so disgusting you could get a girlfriend. Take a hint."

With that, she turned back around, and began to strut off again, leaving both Veronica and the boy gobsmacked. Veronica quickly shook it off and ran after Heather with a concerned look on her face.

"Do you.. do you get that often?" Veronica asked when she got to Heather.

"Boys being gross? Yeah all the time. I like putting them in their place."

"Chandler, that isn't ok. I mean... that situation crazy to me and you have to deal with that often?"

Heather sighed, stopped, and turned to look at Veronica. Her face wasn't quite sad... but more disappointed.

"Sawyer, I'm a girl who likes to wear revealing clothes, and do sexy poses, and doll myself up and all that shit. I'm basically asking for it."

"No!" Veronica replied loudly, causing Heather to jump, "No, you're not asking for it, you should be allowed to dress how you want without guys being pervy!"

Heather smiled softly, gently placing a hand on Veronica's arm and rubbing it lightly. "Your concern is touching, it really is, but I know how to handle myself. Sure guys may be creeps around me, but I sure make them regret it,"

Veronica found herself smiling, her bad mood lifted slightly. "That's true, that guy looked like he shit himself. It's still not ok, though. I mean, it's 1989, shouldn't we, like, be allowed to act and dress how we want?"

Heather shrugged, "maybe one day, Sawyer, maybe one day."

Heather took her hand away and began to walk again. Veronica would be lying if she said she didn't miss the contact. She followed after Heather, her mind now focusing on the movie. She personally loved horror movies, so this one seemed like it could be fairly interesting. Heather didn't really seem like she would be the type to enjoy horror, but Veronica was pleasantly surprised.

Heather had got them seats right at the back in the corner, of course. Forever wanting to seem mysterious, even if it was just in a dark, mangy corner of a run down Movie Theatre. They got settled in, and Heather immediately dug into her popcorn, not even bothering to save it for the film. Veronica watched with both curiosity and amusement at the girl in front of her. To see Heather so carefree, not caring what she looked like or what people thought of her... It was refreshing. Veronica loved this side of her the most.

"Screen's that way, Sawyer," Heather said snarkily, giving Veronica a sidewards glance.

Veronica immediately looked away, feeling slightly embarassed that she was caught staring.

"God, this is going to be so shit." Heather groaned, throwing her head back and pouting like a spoiled child.

Veronica raised an eyebrow, wondering why Heather chose the damn movie if she hated it so much. She noticed that Heather not only looked pissed, she also looked... worried? Why would Heather be-?

She didn't like horror movies did she? She only chose it to seem tough, didn't she?

Veronica decided she would wait to see how Heather reacted to the movie to confirm or deny her suspicion, but she still smiled knowingly to herself.

Soon the movie started, but Veronica found it especially hard to concentrate. Her gaze kept drifting over the Heather, her chin in her hand, a look of apprehension in her face as she creased her brow slightly. Veronica felt herself sigh and Heather looked over in confusion. Veronica snapped out of her trance and shook her head, signalling to Heather there was nothing wrong. The girl frowned in response but didn't say anything.

Eventually, the movie got going and Veronica found that she was actually invested. Sure, it wasn't the scariest thing she'd seen, and it was about a dead cat which was a bit stupid, but it was alright none the less.

Then there was a jumpscare. It wasn't bad at all, and Veronica felt her breath hitch slightly but nothing more. Heather, however, reacted so strongly that she almost flew out of her chair and grasped Veronica's hand. Veronica tensed up in response, staring at Heather's hand on hers. Heather didn't seem to notice for a few moments, but when she did, Veronica could see her face go red, despite the shitty lighting. She was about to pull away when there was another jumpscare and Hetaher grasped it even tighter. Veronica decided whether she was going to be the one to actually pull away or not. A part of her was actually enjoying this, they were different to JD's cold, rough hands. Heather's hands were soft and warm, as weird and creepy as that sounded. 

And so, Veronica, in all her boldness, turned her hand around and intertwined their fingers. She could see Heather give a quiet gasp from the corner of her eye but she kept her focus on the screen, praying that Heather couldn't hear her heart beating a mile a minute.

Heather eventually did the same, a small smile on her lips. Veronica felt herself relax and she enjoyed the movie a hundred times more, and it definitely wasn't because of a certain blonde girl holding her hand.

The rest of the movie continued without too much happening. The occasional jumpscare caused Heather to squeeze Veronica's hand but that's wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Veronica would also squeeze back reassuringly, and Heather would relax. It seemed her suspicions of Heather only watching this to seem tough were correct.

As they sauntered out into the cold night air, Veronica found herself sneaking looks at Heather, who seemed to be in deep contemplation. Not wanting to interrupt that, Veronica kept silent and continued walking on. 

Eventually, they came to a stop, ready to go their separate ways. Veronica wasn't quite sure what to say to her crush whom she had just been to the movies with. That was... pretty crazy to think about. Heather Chandler... was her crush. She had feelings for her. It still hadn't really settled in and Veronica felt her heart quicken like it had before.

"I... sort of enjoyed that," Heather stated, not really meeting Veronica's eyes.

Veronica grinned playfully. "Bullshit! You hated every second of it. You were practically jumping out of your chair at half of it."

"Did not," Heather huffed sulkily.

"Why did you even choose a horror film if you hate them? Did you want to impress me by showing how cool and brave you are?" She teased, giving a goofy grin as Heather blushed.

"I mean- No, like, obviously not! I chose a horror film because you're a freak who likes horror. Wanting to show off? No way, shut up," Heather stuttered awkwardly.

Veronica wanted to carry on teasing her, but decided to let the matter drop out of pity. "Anyways, yeah I enjoyed it as well. You're... not terrible."

Heather smiled, glad to have dropped the previous subject. "Right back at you, Sawyer. You're not shitty company."

There was a moment of silence between them as they looked at eachother, as they often did. Veronica had no idea what the hell Heather may be thinking as her piercing blue eyes travelled around Veronicas probably very red face. Veronica nervously ran a hand through her hair, and Heather's eyes darted towards the action.

"I love it when you do that..." She muttered, looking back into Veronica's eyes and smiling softly.

She then carefully tucked a piece of Veronica's hair behind her ear and let her hand linger on the girls cheek. Veronica felt herself heat up at the touch and instinctively placed a hand on Heather's waist, not quite knowing what was going on.

Heather's eyes fluttered shut and she leaned in slightly. Veronica felt a wave of panic hit her as she processed what exactly was happening.

_Ok so this will be my first kiss. And it will be with Heather Chandler. I will be kissing Hetaher Chandler. As my first kiss. And she is initiating it which means Heather Chandler wants to kiss me for some insane reason. What do I do? Do I lean in as well or wait for her to come to me? I should close my eyes, I look like a creep staring at her. Goddamn it, the Rom coms always show the kiss but not how to actually do it._

They were centimetres apart, when a gasp from nearby caused Heather to leap back as if she had been electrocuted. It took Veronica a few seconds to register what had happened so she opened her eyes and also jumped back, head spinning.

Heather turned to the source of the noise, which just so happened to be Mrs McNamara and Mrs Duke, looking extremely shocked. Well, Mrs Duke looked positively beaming really. And Mac... was just sort of staring at them both. As she always did.

"Holy shit!" Duke exclaimed, eyes darting between Veronica and Heather, "Were you two literally about to kiss?"

Veronica didn't know what to say, so she allowed Heather to take charge of this. Her head was still in a frenzy anyway, so she wasn't sure she would be able to say anything at all.

"No!" Heather protested, still rather red in the face, "Obviously not. She just had something on her face, is that a problem?"

Her face looked... rather believable. Actually, _really_ believable. She seemed insistent that they were not going to kiss. Had Veronica got it completely wrong? But the way that Heather looked at her before leaning in...

_Fuck, what's going on?_

"Anyway," Heather snapped, bringing Veronica back to the present, "what are you guys doing out so late?"

At this, Mac seemed to falter, her eyes tearing away from Heather and Veronica for the first time. Duke, however, didn't react. She just shrugged.

"We're heading out to a bar, got a problem with that?"

"Shut up." Heather commanded, pissed off that Duke had been sassy with her. Duke immediately shut her mouth and recoiled slightly.

"Wait, does your husband mind you being out with Mac so late?" Veronica questioned, raising her eyebrows at Duke.

Duke's calm expression fell and she had a slight hint of panic in her eyes. Mac looked away again, shifting on her feet.

"He doesn't care" Duke spat defensively, "anyway, we're leaving."

Without another word, Duke grabbed Mac by the arm and dragged her away, leaving both Heather and Veronica stunned. Duke had seemed unaffected by everything that was said until her husband had been brought up. And what was up with Mac?

Heather rolled her eyes and turned back to Veronica, her expression bored. "Right... Well I've gotta motor as well, so I'll see you tomorrow, I guess?"

Was she not going to bring up the near kiss that may not have been a near kiss? Did it mean nothing to her? Or was it really not her going in for a kiss?

"Uh, yeah. Thanks for tonight" Veronica smiled, not quite making eye contact.

Heather nodded. "Like I said, you're not shitty company.

And with that, Heather walked off into the night. Her heels were still audible from a far distance, until there was silence, and Veronica was once again left to dwell on the confusing mind of Heather Chandler.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm actually not taking too long to update? It won't last though lmao. Also, I mentioned this on my Tumblr but you may not be following that, so I'll say it here as well. We are very near to the end. If my estimates are correct, there will only be 2 or 3 chapters until the end. So yeah, be ready for that!
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBiscuit


	10. Can't help falling in love with you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica finds something out and Heather isn't too happy about it.

Veronica couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her face when she spotted Heather Chandler, leaned up against the wall with a familiar book in her grasp. It was Veronica's book. She didn't really expect Heather to actually read it, yet here she was, her brow furrowed and a look of intense concentration on her face. She wasnt quite sure whether Heather was enjoying it or hating it, but the fact that she was actually reading it was the most important thing. It filled Veronica with warmth and happiness that Heather genuinely cared so much that she would read a Goddamn book for her. Maybe she should recommend more books? Maybe it would give more opportunities for them to talk?

Veronica almost didn't want to disturb her, but she also really wanted to speak with her, so she gently tapped Heather on the shoulder. Heather gave a small jolt, before she looked up at Veronica and rolled her eyes affectionately.

"Fuck me gently with a chainsaw, Sawyer, you frightened the life out of me!" 

Veronica chuckled, mirroring Heather by also leaning against the wall next to her. "Sorry, but I wanted to talk to you."

Heather raised and eyebrow questioningly. "Talk to me about what?" She asked skeptically.

"Nothing in particular, just fancied a chat. How's the book?"

Heather paused, surveying Veronica, before she relaxed her expression and sighed. She looked down at the book with a sad expression which made Veronica want to hug her. Luckily, she stopped herself at the last second and saved herself from slight embarrassment. Heather was definitely a "look but don't touch" kind of person, and had probably never given or been given a hug in her life. Veronica would have to hug her at some point... just not now.

"I was enjoying it..." Heather began, "and then the leader girl fucking died! And it was the protagonist who did it!"

Veronica shook her head, "technically, it was the loner kid that did it. She didn't know what was in that mug."

"Still! I wanted them to get together, and then she kills her! And she fucked the loner kid...."

"Sometimes shit like that happens. You don't always end up with who you want to end up with."

What was she saying? Could she make her unrequited feelings any more obvious? Heather gave Veronica a strange look as her mind seemed to drift. Veronica cleared her throat, eager to change the subject and shift the attention off of her.

"Anyway, yeah, it's a cool book." She mumbled, looking away, "uh so, that film last night was... interesting, wasn't it?"

Heather nodded, agreeing that the book was indeed 'cool', closed the book and carefully placed it back into her bag. She then straightened herself up, turned to Veronica, tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and frowned. 

"It was weird as shit" she scoffed, "perfect for you of course."

Once upon a time, a comment like that would have got Veronica riled up and made her want to snap at Heather. Now though, Veronica found it endearing and enjoyed watching Heather get all defensive. It was part of who she was, and veronica wouldn't change it for the world.

 _Y_ ou _get soppier and soppier everyday. What has she done to you?_

What _had_ she done to her? Veronica felt like a brand new person. It was strange, surreal even, but overall... Veroncia felt better about herself and that was all that mattered at the end of the day.

"It wasn't weird," Veronica stated defensively, "you're just a pussy"

Veronica couldn't help it, teasing Heather was one of her favourite things to do. When Heather responded by creasing her brow and narrowing her eyes, Veronica found herself smirking slightly.

"Shut up, Sawyer" Heather commanded, "I am not a pussy. If you wanna go around watching weird-ass movies about dead cats and shit, that's fine by me. Some of us actually have taste."

At this, Veronica chuckled, causing Heather to give a look of confusion.

"Oh, Chandler, you never fail to brighten my day."

Heather opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by a pair of voices down the hall. Heather's eyes widened and suddenly she grabbed Veronica's hand and began to drag her away somewhere. Veronica didn't even have time to ask what the fuck was going on before she was being roughly shoved into a closet, followed by Heather. The door was quickly closed, and both Heather and Veronica breathed heavily, staring at eachother.

"Chandler..." Veronica began, "...what the fuck?"

"Shut up! It's Duke and Mac coming down the hallway!"

Veronica shook her head in disbelief, "and that justifies shoving me into a closet...how exactly?"

"I said shush!" Heather hissed, "they were acting shady yesterday, so we're gonna eavesdrop on them and find out what's going on."

Veronica couldn't escape the small giggle that escaped her lips. "You're really taking this seriously aren't you?"

"Oh my God, Veronica, how many times do I have to tell you to _Shut the fuck up_?!"

There was a tone of amusement in her voice that made Veronica giggle even more. Heather placed a hand over Veronicas mouth to muffle the laughter as she bit her lip to stop the smile that was threatening to appear. The giggling stopped, however, when Veronica realised how close they were. They were literally pressed up against eachother, and by the look on Heather's face, she had noticed as well. Veronica felt herself heat up, and she was about to say something when the voices could be heard again, but louder this time. All embarrassment vanished as both girls turned to peek through the small slits in the door.

"I'm telling you, Heather, it's too much! I can't keep up with it..." 

That voice clearly belonged to Heather McNamara. A sigh could be heard in response, which Veronica guessed was from Duke.

"Jesus, Heather, it's not hard!"

They shifted slightly, meaning Veronica could get a much better view of the scene. Mac looked extremely nervous, wringing her hands and darting her eyes across the hallway.

"But it is! I think we should tell someone..."

At this, Duke frowned and leaned in closer to Mac. "We are not telling anyone, you hear me? No way. You can't tell anyone, Heather."

Mac looked worried at Duke's dangerous expression and recoiled slightly. Duke flinched and sent Mac an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, ok? Look I just want to be careful."

Mac nodded solemnly as the two of them sauntered away. Heather stayed quiet for a few moments before turning to Veronica with a confused expression. Veronica shrugged, not entirely knowing what just happened. That exchange had given no more explanation, and they were both still in the dark. Literally. Why wasn't there a light in this damn closet?

Heather gently opened the door, and one they were sure there was nobody watching, they stepped out into the deserted hallway. A moment of silence passed between them before Heather turned to Veronica and shrugged.

"Well," she said, "Guess that didn't work. I gotta head to class now so I'll see you later, I guess."

Veronica raised her eyebrows and was about to comment when Heather spun around and strutted away. How did she just so suddenly let that go? Veronica sighed, knowing she also had to go soon, and pushed all thoughts of Heather from her mind.

She was naïve to think she would ever actually be able to do any work, as the moment she turned around, she was being man handled once again. She couldn't even cry out before she was shoved into the damn closet again. Her eyes began to adjust to the light and as she surveyed her surroundings, she noticed a figure in front of her with a hint of yellow.

"Mac? What the hell?"

"Listen, Veronica" she said in a low voice, "we need to talk."

There was a sense of authority in her voice, as if it was a command rather than a request. As Veronica looked at Mac in the dark, everything clicked. The stares, the weird expressions, always giving her and Heather a look of some sort.

Mac had feelings for her.

Veronica took a deep breath as she prepared herself for the potential awkwardness that was about to ensue.

"Ah, Mac, I am flattered, really I am. But I just don't like you in that way. I hope we can still be friends, but I just.... don't...."

She began to trail off as she noticed Mac's quizzical expression. "Veronica, what the hell are you talking about?"

Veronica gulped. Had she got this wrong?

"Uh... You have feelings for me? Because you always stare at me and Heather and stuff..."

Mac gave a sympathetic smile and placed a hand on Veronica's shoulder. "I don't fancy you, I stare at you and Heather because I think you'll be a cute couple! Everyone does!"

The moment she said it, her eyes widened and she clasped a hand over her mouth as if she'd just let out a big secret. Veronica shook her head, baffled.

"Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean, 'everyone'?" Veronica asked, leaning closer to Mac.

Mac bit her lip nervously and averted eye contact. "Uh...I shouldn't have said that. Listen, basically, it's just... Well, everyone here kind of... thinks you two are good together. Students and teachers. Kurt and Ram may have a bet to say you'll get together by the end of the year. I mean, I found out when I looked into your classroom that one time and you and Heather were there. I kind of told Duke that you guys were great together....and then she told everyone. I'm super sorry!"

Veronica couldn't believe what she was hearing. Everyone... thought her and Heather should be together? They even had _b_ _ets?_ And she had absolutely no idea about any of it. It all made sense now, though. All the kids looking at them, the muttering and whispering, the girl saying she shipped them, JD saying "they were right". Veronica truly did not know how to react to this. She just knew she wanted to get out.

Curiosity got the better of her though, as before she opened the door, she turned back to Mac. "Wait...so is that why you dragged me in here? To tell me that?"

Mac took a sharp intake of breath and Veronica swore that there was a hint of a blush on her cheeks. Veronica narrowed her eyes skeptically, causing Mac to squeak out a reply.

"Uh not exactly... But it doesn't matter now. You go deal with your thing, I'll just leave..."

"Hold on," Veronica said firmly, blocking Mac from leaving, "It's about you and Duke isn't it?"

The yellow girl's face went from being red to slightly pale, and Veronica knew she had her on the ropes.

"Why are you always sneaking off with her? What's going on, Mac?"

Veronica already knew the answer, and Mac could see that as well. She just bowed her head in shame, showing Veronica that she was correct.

"Oh my God, Mac, no!"

"I'm sorry!"

"She's married! She has a Goddamn husband!"

"He's horrible to her though... and they're getting a dvorce!"

She placed her head in her hands and leaned back against the closet wall. "I was just... comforting her. And then one thing led to another..."

Veronica sighed, placing a hand on Mac's shoulder comfortingly. "Sure, they might be getting a divorce, but that doesn't make it alright. Listen, I'm super happy for you both obviously, and I personally think you're good together. However, you need to stop seeing her until the divorce is all done. Ok?"

Mac smiled appteciateively at Veronica. "Sure thing! Thanks for being understanding, Veronica!"

"Of course, don't worry about it. Also, I'm surprised you managed to keep it a secret this long..."

"Oh my God, me too! I just had to tell someone, I was so guilty!"

Veronica chuckled softly before turning back to the door and giving Mac a small nod. "I'll see you later then, yeah?"

"Wait!" Mac said suddenly, before smirking playfully, "About the whole Heather thing. Are people right to ship it?"

Shit, she'd completely forgotten about that. Now all the previous anxiety from a few minutes ago resurfaced and began to bubble inside of her. She'd have to bring this up with Heather, which would be the most awkward thing ever. Also, seeing Heather's negative reaction to this whole... situation, well it was bound to hurt Veronica.

"There's nothing going on." Veronica stated blankly, her voice quiet.

Mac rolled her eyes, not believing Veronica's lies. "Of course there is, silly! I mean, everyone can see it can't they? You have feelings for her so don't try and deny it."

Veronica sighed, and felt herself have a moment of sadness. All her feelings that had been pent up inside of her came pouring out as Veronica confessed her concerns.

"What does it matter? Even if by some miracle she does like me back, it would never work. I mean, we literally started off as sworn enemies, who's to say we won't be like that again? There was a point where I hated her, Mac! Anyway, we're too different. I'm quiet and serious and I like to stay in and read and write, whereas Heather is confident and outgoing and likes to party. She's math, I'm English. She's red, I'm blue. It clearly wouldnt work, so what's the point in trying? Well both get hurt and ruin our friendship in the process."

The look on Mac's face was as if Veronica and just kicked a puppy. She looked heartbroken, disappointed, confused, worried, every emotion in the book. But despite all this, she stayed determined and looked at Veronica with fire in her eyes.

"You being so different is what makes it so perfect, you idiot! You could both teach eachother new things and open each others minds. You've already changed eachother, I mean Heather hasn't told Heather to shut up in like a week! Why do you have to be the same? Besides, you care for eachother and you have chemistry, what else matters, really?"

Veronica paused, shook her head and pushed open the door. She shot Mac an apologetic look over her shoulder and said "I'm sorry, but it's a no."

She quickly turned around again, not being able to stand the look Mac gave her. She briskly walked through the hallway, trying to get away from Mac, from that stupid fucking closet, from everything. It was all too much, way too much. She never wanted any of this. She never wanted to be the centre of attention. Sure, when she read her book, it was nice to fantasies about being loved and being appreciated, but it wasn't nice to have your entire workplace and a bunch of kids talk about you behind your back and make your friendship with a co worker extremely uncomfortable. 

Yes, she had feelings for Heather. That was true. Yes, she definitely would like to be in a relationship with Heather. That was also true. But seeing as that would never happen, she had learned to deal with it and move on. Now, it wasn't only her inner voice taunting her and pushing her to do something, it was literally every one she knew. Before, she could escape it relatively easily, but now... well what the hell was she going to do?

"You look happy." 

A voice pulled her from her thoughts, thank God. She was even happier to see Heather, giving Veronica a worried look, despite the sarcastic comment.

"Aren't you supposed to be teaching or something, Chandler?" Veronica asked, avoiding the subject.

"Aren't you supposed to be answering me or something, Sawyer?" Heather retorted, stepping closer to Veronica, "what's wrong?"

Veronica sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to wriggle her way out of this one. "Listen, promise not to be mad or weirded out?"

"Well that depends what it is. Tell me anyway, I'm curious now."

"Curiosity killed the cat, bitch" Veronica joked, not being able to stop herself. Heather smiled at the reference, showing off her perfect pearly white teeth that shone bright against her deep red lips. 

_S_ top _looking at her lips_

Oh right yeah.

"Haha very funny" Heather said rolling her eyes, "But seriously, you're worrying me. What's going on?"

Better to rip off the plaster, right?" People... everyone, actually... thinks we would be good as a couple."

Veronica decided not to add any personal thoughts, just to see how Heather reacted first. She sheepishly looked up, and her heart dropped when she saw a horrified face staring back at her. 

"What the fuck?" Heather cried, "that's so messed up? Why would they think that?"

Ah, so she was right. Heather not only didn't feel the same way, but she was totally grossed out by the thought of her and Veronica together. Brilliant, just brilliant. Veronica attempted to stop the tears from welling in her eyes and gulped, giving a fake grimace to match Heather's.

"Yeah, I know right?" She said, her voice slightly wobbly, "Why would they even think that?"

Heather didn't notice anything about the way Veronica was acting and instead shook her head disbelievingly. "That's awful. Us two together? Now where did they get that from? Bunch of freaks."

_Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry._

She had to leave before she embarassed herself any more than she already had. Why was she getting so upset? She hadn't cried since like 6th grade, yet Heather saying she wouldn't want to date her is what got her? Come on, why was she surprised? Was there a little part of her that wished and prayed that maybe, by some insane chance, Heather liked her back? That would be stupid. She knew how different they were, she knew how far out of Heather's league she was, she knew that no matter what she did or what she said, she would never be good enough. It didn't matter how many times Heather plagued her dreams, hugging her and making her feel safe, cracking witty jokes and making Veronica feel light and happy. It didn't matter that she had fallen so fucking hard that she believed Hetaher was absolutely perfect, inside and out. It didn't matter that Veronica wanted Heather, and only Heather.

"I- I have to go." Veronica spluttered, spinning around and practically sprinting away, leaving a bewildered Heather standing in the hallway. She didn't wait for a reply.

Of course, the only secluded place she could find was that closet. Why did she always end up in here? Still, she leaped inside, slammed the door, and allowed the tears to fall down her face.

God, crying sucked. Before she knew it, she was full on sobbing so loud anyone could hear, her eyes were all puffy and red, and she felt like such a mess. Yet, in some ways, it was a relief. Like finally, she was just letting everything out, holding nothing back. Any thoughts of her being pathetic were pushed to the back of her mind as she cried even harder. It had been years, and Veronica deserved this cry.

After everything, she was just an annoying, nerdy, boring, pathetic little English teacher with a silly little crush which was potentially more than a crush.

And Heather didn't like her.

After some time of crying a bit more and attempting to sort herself out, Veronica gingerly opened the door and stepped out, unbelievably relieved that nobody was around. She hoped that she didn't look like she's been crying, and if anyone said anything, she could blame it on hay fever. She took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and headed to class, eager to get on with the day.

Of course, thoughts of Heather's reaction kept drifting in but she pushed them away as soon as they came. Build up your walls and nobody can hurt you. During class, nobody gave her any weird looks, nobody mentioned Heather, she got her work done and she didn't burst into tears again. Overall, a success.

When the class ended, finally, she was able to flop down into her chair and sigh. If she was drained before, she was absolutely battered now. Rubbing her eyes, she sank lower into the chair and groaned. The day had only just begun and all she wanted was to go home, maybe cry some more, eat some ice cream, and hang out with JFK as her feelings swallowed her whole. Still, that wasn't possible and she was forced to just battle on. And so, that was what she did, and nobody could stop her. She just got on with things as best she could. 

Besides, she was lucky:

She didn't see Heather for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry :((((
> 
> Also, for fucks sake Heather, you've ruined it. 
> 
> This is so much more angst than I intended lmao. I just kept writing and making it worse and worse. Veronica, honey, I'm so sorry for torturing you this way. And I'm so sorry readers that you have to wait for ages for a chapter, and you get this shit. Do not fret, it'll all be sorted soon, I promise.
> 
> On a serious note, I wanna thank you for the recent support on ABCs and 123s. We've had an influx of hits, kudos and comments and I couldn't be happier. ABCs is something I am genuinely proud of and seeing your guys' comments and reactions just makes my day. Thank you for everything, and see you next update :)
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBiscuit


	11. She puts the Red in Redamancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica makes a decision, with a little help from Mac.

Veronica tried to put Heather out of her mind, she really did. It sort of worked... sometimes. But occasionally, her thoughts would drift to a young woman with blonde hair and a red blazer. Of course, the main subject of these thoughts was that people 'shipped' them. This meant that clearly, people saw a connection between them. They thought they had chemistry. They thought that Heather and Veronica would be good together.

Veronica tried to ignore just how happy that made her.

She stretched her arms above her head and groaned, already looking at the clock with disdain. Still fourty minutes until school ended. Luckily, she didn't have a class right now, so she had time to just relax and lose herself in her work, as she tended to do. Still, going home would beat this any day of the week. 

As she brought her arms down again, she sighed and slumped back in her chair. People thinking that her and Heather would make a good couple... did they see something she couldn't? Did Heather actually like her?

She was being stupid. She'd seen Heather's reaction, she'd seen the look of absolute disgust and horror. Why would she react that way if she had feelings for Veronica? The more she lied to herself about Heather maybe liking her, the more she got hurt. And still, she never learned, and still, she fantasized about Heather maybe feeling the same way. Them going out together, laughing together, spending time together, Heather wrapping and arm around Veronicas waist as they sauntered through the streets, Veronica absentmindedly leaning into Heather's touch. 

...Why did she do this to herself?

Suddenly, there was a quiet knock at the door, to which veronica spun around in surprise. Her face fell when she saw a very timid Heather Chandler leaning against the door frame. Heather noticed Veronica's expression and a look of panic crossed her face for a moment, before it dropped, and she averted her gaze.

"Uh, Flemming sent me..." she mumbled, "you need to finish your reports by tomorrow, apparently."

Veronica simply nodded, and then turned back around. She tensed up when she heard footsteps from behind and Hetaher came to stand by her desk. Veronica chanced a look up and saw Heather with an expression she had never seen before.

Guilt.

She didn't even know Hetaher could feel guilty, much less actually show it. It was surrea, and Veronica really didn't like it.

"Listen, Veronica..."

Veronica winced at the use of her first name. It was the first time she had called her something other than "Sawyer". This must be serious.

Heather didn't notice and continued.

"I'm not really sure what I did to upset you... But I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I know I can suck sometimes and normally I don't fucking care what people think, but with you.... well you're, like, my only friend, Veronica. So please, I want to make sure you're ok. If it's about me acting grossed out about us being together, it wasn't a personal attack on you or anything, you're lovely, you really are. It's just... nevermind, I'm rambling now, but I just... i want to apologise."

Veronica's heart did a somersault, and she almost confessed her feelings right then and there. Almost told Heather just how perfect those words were and how much she cared for Heather. She almost leapt up and grabbed Heather, not wanting to ever let go. 

But she didn't.

Veronica spoke quietly, careful not to show too much emotion in her voice. "Heather, it's not you..."

That was a fucking lie, but Veronica couldn't stand seeing Heather so upset. At this, Heather's face was filled with hope and she looked far happier than before.

"It's...It's not?".

Veronica shook her head, giving a sad smile that she hoped looked genuine. "It's... the whole thing. It's a lot to handle."

To this, Heather let out a breathy laugh, and shook her head. "Thank God for that! I thought I'd upset you with something I'd said, or that it was about something between me and you."

Sure, Veronica was lying and she really ought to be straight with Heather (in more ways than one), but seeing her so relieved and so light... It was better than burdening her with more problems. And so, Veronica kept quiet and nodded slowly, not quite meeting Heather's gaze.

"Anyway," Heather continued, "I agree with you that this is weird. It's super, super weird. But we can't let it get between us, our friendship is more important, isn't it? Overall, this is just a bunch of losers making up stuff about other people's lives. So what they say doesn't mean anything." 

Heather had no idea that what she was saying was tearing Veronica apart. She was saying that it meant nothing, absolutely nothing, and secretly Veronica wanted it to mean everything. She wanted this whole thing to be proof that she should be with Heather. But no, Heather had just straight out told Veronica that it didn't mean they should be together. It. Meant. Nothing.

Could this get any worse?

"Sure," Veronica shrugged, giving a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "we won't let it get between us."

Heather gave Veronica a look that said she knew things were not completely resolved, and Veronica clearly had something on her mind, but she kept quiet. She just gave a small nod, and left Veronica alone.

The moment she was out the door, Veronica got up from her chair and groaned, slumping against the wall. She had been so close to confessing her feelings when Heather called her 'lovely' and seemed so upset that Veronica was hurting. Luckily, she didn't, and now, although she was dying inside, it wasn't from embarrassment. However, her feelings for Heather had only grown stronger and her mind kept replaying what Heather had said over and over again like a broken record.

There was another knock at the door, louder this time. Veronica sighed, not wanting to speak to Heather again. However, when she glanced up, it was another Heather with a wide grin on her face.

"Mac?" Veronica said, frowning, "what are you doing here, you never come to my class?"

As Mac made her way over, Veronica went back around to her chair at her desk, and Mac came and leaned across the desk, getting right in Veronica's face. 

"What are you doing?" Veronica questioned, recoiling slightly, "why're you so excited?"

"Come on, Veronica!" Mac exclaimed, jumping up and clapping her hands excitedly, "It's obvious!"

"No it isn't?". Sure, she was being sarcastic and slightly rude, but she really wasn't in the mood for games, and Mac was giving her a headache.

"It's about you and Heather!"

Veronica tensed up at the name, and scowled at her desk. "What are you talking about?" She grumbled.

Noticing Veronica's demeanour, Mac's smile wavered slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and leaned on the desk again. 

"Well, you're gonna tell her how you feel, aren't you?"

"Obviously not." Veronica said bluntly, "I spoke to her earlier, and she made it clear she wasn't interested. So that's that."

Mac wasn't giving up. "Ok... But did you let her know how _you_ feel?"

Veronica bit her lip and hung her head, "No... But even if I did, it wouldn't make any difference. She isn't suddenly going to develop feelings for me just because I'm head over heels for her. It's Heather Chandler we're talking about, Mac. She's single handedly the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, she's so funny it's unreal, and the way she cocks her head when she's thinking and her bright blue eyes just stare at you and you get so lost in them that-"

Veronica realised that she was rambling and what she was saying was disgustingly cheesy and promptly shut her mouth. She glanced up to see Mac giving Veronica a knowing look.

"You've really fallen hard, haven't you?"

Veronica chuckled softly, rolling her eyes. "Is it obvious?"

"To anyone with eyes. What you just said... you need to tell that to Heather. You gotta let her know, Veronica. Her feelings be damned. If you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Realisation dawning on her, Veronica's lighthearted mood dropped and she looked at Mac hopelessly. "I just don't know what to do, Mac..."

"Well, I do!" Mac said brightly, standing up straight and bouncing the balls of her feet.

She raced over to Veronica, pulled her up from her chair, stood in front of her and placed her small hands on her shoulders. Veronica gave a quizzical look, but before she could say anything, Mac spoke again.

"Do you like her? Actually, really, properly like her?"

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "...yes?"

"Good. And do you want to be in a relationship with her?"

Veronica looked into Mac's eyes and gave a small smile. "Yeah."

"Then go get her." Mac whispered, smile growing wider by the second.

She grinned broadly, squeezing Veronica's shoulders reassuringly. Veronica paused, contemplating her options, before she took a deep breath and made her way to the door.

"I'm going to Heather's house!" Veronica shouted as she bolted out the door. She heard Mac squeal with delight and chuckled to herself.

Her heart began to thump as adrenaline raced through her. She dashed through the hallways, raced out of the entrance, and sprinted down the street, smiling to herself all the way. Rain had begun to pour down, but Veronica just pushed her now damp hair out of her eyes and ran even faster. Any doubts or worries were totally forgotten, and all Veronica wanted to do was see Heather and tell her how she felt. She wasn't sure how she had gone from being so against confessing to Heather, to wanting nothing more, just by Mac telling her to, but she wouldn't dwell on it now.

Heather's house wasn't too far away, thank god, but still, when Veronica arrived she had to spend a couple of minutes doubled over gasping for air. The rain was hammering down now, getting in Veronicas eyes and hair. She probably looked terrible, and she certainly felt terrible, but that doesn't stop her from marching up to Heather's door and knocking loudly. 

A second passed. No answer. Another second. Nothing. Veronica waited and waited, but nothing happened. She was about to give up when suddenly the door was opened and a thoroughly pissed Heather Chandler stared back at her.

"What the fuck do you- oh! Sawyer?"

Heather looked Veronica up and down and frowned, taking a step forward, but still careful to avoid the rain.

"Chandler, I need to talk to you." Veronica said bluntly, pushing her sodden hair out of her face.

"Right..." Heather said slowly, "Do you want to come inside?"

"No!" Veronica said quickly, taking Heather by surprise, "No, I need to say this right now before I change my mind."

She didn't even give Heather the chance to respond before she swallowed, took a shaky breath, and spoke. 

"It's about...today. Right, so obviously, everyone thinks we should be a couple, yeah? Well, I just wanted to say..."

She looked up at Heather, who looked extremely confused, and just said absolutely everything that came to mind, fuck the consequences. This was it, no turning back now.

"I like you. I really like you. I have feelings for you, Heather Chandler, and I have done for ages now, I just haven't been able to say anything. I think you are just the most perfect person in existence, as horribly cliché as that sounds. I didn't want to tell you, but I knew that if I didn't, I'd hate myself forever. Now, I know you may possibly not feel the same way..."

She trailed off and dared to look up, absolutely terrified at how Heather may react. Would she be horrified, embarassed, would she laugh at Veronica cruelly before declaring her hatred for her? 

None of those. She laughed. 

Veronica gave a confused look as Heather laughed loudly before shaking her head and looking at Veronica. Upon seeing Veronica's confused face, she lost the smile and realisation seeped in.

"You... you weren't kidding?"

Oh shit. 

Well, she should have expected this really. She was a laughing stock, a joke, to Heather, and now they were both feeling embarassed. Brilliant, nice going. Fucks sake, Mac had made it seem like it would be this massive romantic gesture, and she gets this? How had she been so blind as to think this would actually go well?

"Right..." Veronica muttered, already feeling the tears welling along the edges of her eyes, "well I'm gonna leave because I'm embarassed."

As she turned to leave, Heather stepped out and followed her, giving a sympathetic look. "No, Veronica, please don't be embarassed! It's not that bad, you don't have to leave! Veronica, please, can we talk about this?"

Heather grabbed Veronicas arm, causing her to spin round, the tears   
cascading down her cheeks.

Heather stopped.

Any words she was going to say got caught in her throat, and she looked at Veronica as if for the very first time.

Soaking wet, having run all the way here, not a scrap of makeup on yet still looking gorgeous. She thought back to Veronica's dorky laugh, them gossiping about dumb shit Kurt and Ram did, her making that stupid maths job so much better. And it dawned on her.

Heather let out a small "oh".

Veronica frowned, stepping closer. "What?"

Before Veronica knew it, she was being grabbed by the collar and pulled forward. She barely had time to yelp before Heather's lips were on hers, and Veronica found herself kissing back immediately. She instinctively tangled her hands in Heather's curls, melting into her touch and inhaling the overwhelming scent of cherries. 

It was perfect.

Eventually, albeit reluctantly, they pulled away, breathing heavily and staring into each others eyes. Heather's hands were still grasping Veronica's collar and Veronica's hands were still in Heather's soft curls. Veronica hated to break the silence and ruin the moment, but they couldn't just stand here in the rain forever.

"Your lipstick's smudged." She whispered, looking down at Heather's lips which were now more than a little bit messed up.

Heather chuckled, pulling away from Veronica. "Yeah, and it's all over your lips now, pillowcase. Anyway, you look like a drowned sewer rat, let's head inside"

Veronica, still slightly dazed, followed Heather, their hands intertwined. The welcoming warmth of Heather's house made Veronica audibly sigh, as she began to take off her coat and boots. Her brain didn't have to time to even process what had just happened, before Heather gave her another quick kiss, but more sweet and less passionate this time. Veronica smiled against Heather's lips before pulling away and frowning slightly.

"Wait..." she began slowly, "I thought you didn't like me?"

Heather sighed, blushing slightly and biting her lip. "Yeah, I didn't think I did. And then I saw you there, having run here in the rain to confess your feelings.... and it hit me. This whole time I felt the same way, I just didn't realize it I guess."

Veronica muttered a quiet "pillowcase", turned away from Heather and went to go hang up her coat, smiling to herself. Suddenly, another question that had been bugging her came to mind.

"So, at the movies that time... were you about to kiss me or was there really something on my face?"

"Oh I was definitely going to kiss you," Heather stated, shrugging, "I just kept lying to myself. If Duke hadn't have interrupted, we would have got to this stage way sooner."

"I suppose..." Veronica said, "But also... this whole thing actually made me realise just how much I liked you, and it made this moment much more worth it."

"You're so fucking cheesy" Heather jeered, but the corners of her lips were turning up ever so slightly and amusement twinkled in her eyes.

As Heather left to go grab some towels for them both so they could dry off, Veronica took in her surroundings. The house was still identical to how it was on her last visit. Still just as big and still just as red. This time, though, something felt different. It felt more like a home than a house. Veronica felt a lot more comfortable and less like she didn't belong. She had an idea why that would be, and it was pretty obvious.

Her mind drifted back to the kiss and Veronica found herself actually realising what this meant.

Heather Chandler kissed her. Heather Chandler fucking kissed her. She liked Veronica. 

Veronica double checked that Heather wasn't in the room and squealed quietly whilst doing a little dance sort of thing. She just couldn't help it, she was so damn happy.

"You're such a dork," Heather said affectionately, rolling her eyes and throwing Veronica a fluffy towel.

Ah, so Heather had been in the room. Veronica coughed awkwardly before drying her hair, not making eye contact. Heather just smirked, also drying her hair. 

Neither of them realised, but they were both the subject of eachothers' thoughts.

  
**____________________________________________**

  
Once they were all dried up, Heather gave Veronica some dry clothes. They just so happened to be a tight t-shirt and some very short shorts, just like from the last time. She swore it wasn't intentional, but that didn't stop her from staring frequently. Veronica pretended not to notice, but she definitely caught Heather's eye a few times.

She didn't know how they ended up cuddling together on the couch, with Heather wrapping her arms around Veronica's body and Veronica storming Heather's hair, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

Heather sighed into Veronica's side and shifted slightly, snuggling up to the brunnete. Veronica, in response, lightly kissed Hetaher's forehead, which caused a small smile to appear. 

"Chandler?"

"Yeah?"

"You're really pretty."

Heather's breath hitched slightly as her eyes snapped open. She gazed up at Veronica with deep affection.

"Thank you" she said quietly, before quickly looking away.

Veronica chuckled softly, before moving to get up from the sofa. Heather groaned and hugged tighter, not wanting to let Veronica leave. She was surprisingly fucking strong and Veronica had a job of prying Heather's vice-like grip off. 

"Sawyer," she moaned, "get back here."

"Calm down, I'm just going to get a drink, I'll be back"

Heather pouted like a spoiled toddler who hadn't got her way. Veronica rolled her eyes and sauntered into the kitchen. Before she knew it, she felt arms wrap around her waist and a head rested on her shoulder. Veronica couldn't hold back the smile that spread across her face when Heather lightly kissed her neck and hugged even tighter.

"Couldn't wait for me, huh?" Veronica teased, side-eyeing Heather.

"Shut up, dork, it wasn't to do with you. I just got lonely." 

"I was gone for like two seconds?"

Heather didn't answer. Instead she just pulled away and sat down on a chair, one legged crossed over the other, her short silky red robe showing off some of her thigh. She delicately ran a hand over her thigh and smirked at Veronica. Oh she was definitely doing this on purpose. Veronica blushed furiously and tore her eyes away, grabbing her mug, and swiftly exiting the room before her eyes drifted to Heather's... hand... again.

She heard a cackle from behind as Heather moved to follow her. They both slumped down on the couch again, and as they did, Veronica took notice of the picture of Heather and her parents that had caught her eye during her last visit.

"Oh, I totally forgot you lived with your parents!" Veronica said, turning to Heather, "It was a good job they weren't here this time either, they would have been confused why there was a soaking English Teacher stood at your door, confessing her 'undying love'."

Heather chuckled and rested her head on Veronica's chest. "Yeah... they aren't here very often."

Veronica suddenly remembered that Heather's parents was a sensitive subject and she deeply regretted ever bringing it up in the first place. Heather noticed Veronica's hesitation and gave her a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, I'm alright talking about them now... I guess I trust you."

Heather seemed just as shocked with what she said as Veronica was. Heather seemed like the type of person who never really trusted anyone other than herself, someone who never put her faith in someone because she already knew they would let her down. Veronica had changed that, however. And she was glad.

"My... my father is a very rich man," Heather explained, looking at the floor, "he loved his goddamn business more than he loved me, I'm pretty sure. My mother... never really had time for me. She was too busy being snobby and stuck up, gossiping with all her country club friends. What a life."

"We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to Heather..." Veronica offered, stroking Heathers hair. Heather shook her head slightly.

"Don't worry, I want to."

At this, Veronica nodded for Heather to continue.

"I kind of... well I always felt like I should be happy with my life. I was rich, popular, pretty and powerful. Whenever my mind began to wander and I craved affection from someone, anyone, I'd shut it down and tell myself to be thankful for what I have. I remember once we had this thing at school, a recital or some shit. Anyway, there were seats reserved for my parents, I'm not sure why I thought they would come. They didn't, of course. Came up with some bullshit excuse. I cried that night."

A look of pain crossed Heathers features as she pulled away from Veronica and sat up straight. She turned to the brunette and looked deeply into her eyes.

"When my mother found out I like girls... She wasn't happy, obviously," Heather took a pause and gathered herself, before continuing, "she never told my father, he would have absolutely killed me. Still, she'd always stare at me, making sure I remembered that she knew exactly what I was. When I told my mother I didn't want to run the business, she threatened to out me to my father. And so, at the age of 20, I ran away. I managed to get some money before my father cancelled his credit cards, stayed with a friend, and did some training to become a teacher. It was something that I had never considered doing, and originally, one of the main selling points was that I'd be able to yell at people. Anyway, soon the money ran dry and by the time I was done with training, I was broke. I came crawling back to my parents, kissed their asses and begged them to let me stay, which they eventually did. My Mom never outed me, thank God, but I think shes using it as blackmail so I don't run off again. They're allowing me to have a little bit of independence as a teacher before I take over the stupid business. I'm enjoying it while I can."

There was silence for a good while, Veronica still thinking over what Heather had just said, and Heather rather surprised she had shared so much. Eventually, Heather sighed and grabbed the TV remote.

"Alright, let's stop being a pair of depressed bitches and see what's on."

"I'm really proud of you," Veronica blurted out suddenly, "I think you're really strong."

Heather froze, not knowing how to react. Veronica decided to continue talking, trying to make Heather feel more comfortable.

"What I mean is... I'm proud of you for pursuing independence and also for telling me. I know that opening up can be really hard, but I think you're really brave, Heather."

Heather bit her lip and frowned, her eye's glazed over. Eventually, she shook her head and looked at Veronica with a tight smile.

"Anyway, enough about me, I wanna know about your parents."

Veronica didn't really want to abandon the previous subject, but clearly Heather was done with it. So, she sighed, and began to speak.

"My parents were pretty normal, honestly," Veronica confessed, "I mean, they weren't protective over me at all and basically let me do what I want. Oh, and they were super boring. But nothing strange. They quite liked the idea of me being a teacher, may have preferred doctor or lawyer, but it was better than a gas-station attendant."

Veronicas sighed and looked away, gathering her thoughts. "I wish I had told them I was bisexual. Too late now, though."

Heathers eyes widened as she realised what Veronica meant. "Oh, I'm so sorry" she said quietly, grabbing Veronica's hand. 

Veronica smiled reassuringly and squeezed Heathers hand. "Its fine, don't worry. It was a while ago now and I've learned to deal with it, honestly. No point dwelling on the past though, is there?"

"I suppose not" Heather shrugged, "anyway, let's actually see what's on TV, we can't just talk all night."

Veronicas wouldn't have minded that, honestly, but watching a shitty film whilst snuggled up to Heather Chandler wasn't exactly a terrible way to spend an evening.

  
__________________________________________

  
It was late and Veronica felt her eyelids begin to droop as the noise from the film faded out. Before she knew it, she slipped into a peaceful slumber, dreaming about nothing in particular. A sudden jolt awoke her however, and as she rubbed her eyes, she loomed around to see that she was off the ground and she was moving.

Holy shit.

Heather was carrying her bridal-style.

Veronica felt a blush creep up her neck as she grasped Heather tighter.

"Ah, you're awake then?" Heather commented, smirking and raising an eyebrow at Veronica.

"How can you even carry me?" Veronica asked incredulously as she was carried into the bedroom. 

Heather just laughed and dropped Veronica onto the bed, causing her to yelp. Veronica fixed her hair and stood up, brushing herself off.

"So... Why have you brought me here?" Veronica wondered, glancing around what she presumed to be Heather's bedroom, "aren't I sleeping on the sofa again?"

"Such a pillowcase," Heather muttered, rolling her eyes and getting into bed, "you're sleeping here."

Veronicas eyes widened as she began stutter out an awkward "Ok...".

She tucked herself into Heather's silky sheets and closed her eyes in an attempt to sleep. She felt something on her lips that was so soft and light, she wasn't sure whether she had just imagined it. However, sure enough, when she opened her eyes, she was staring right into Heather's dazzling blue eyes. As she noticed Veronica's gaze, she gave a small, genuine smile.

"A goodnight kiss," Heather clarified, "have sweet dreams, Sawyer."

And with that, she rolled over to go to sleep. Veronica grinned to herself, closing her eyes again and sighing deeply. Sleep came easily.

And she really did have sweet dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! Obviously, the previous chapter was very angsty, so that's why this chapter is literal tooth-rotting fluff.
> 
> Anyway, yeah so I need to talk to you guys about the next two chapters. Technically, the next chapter is the final Chapter of the story. This is because Chapter 13 is an epilogue which takes place a bit later. So yeah, just wanted to explain that!
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBiscuit


	12. Life’s better with you around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica and Heather experience their new relationship.

Veronica wearily opened her eyes and rapidly blinked as she glanced around the room, attempting to make out her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was a blinding amount of red surrounding her. The second thing she noticed was the soft, tussled blonde hair she was burying her face in. 

Oh.

Heather shifted slightly, making Veronica tense.

She was literally spooning Heather Chandler right now. A part of her was thinking "what the fuck?" The other, larger, part - which completely overshadowed the first part - was thinking that she wanted to stay like this forever. Veronica wasn't quite sure why she was the big spoon, seeing as Heather was slightly taller than her, but she sure as hell wasn't complaining. This was the most comfortable she had ever been in her entire life.

She felt Heather shift again and could tell that the blonde had just woken up from her deep slumber. She felt her freeze for a second, clearly in a state of confusion as Veronica had been. A moment passed and Heather slowly turned her body to face Veronica. When she noticed the girl was awake, a goofy grin spread across her face and she closed her eyes again and pressed her forehead against Veronica's.

"G'morning, bitch," she mumbled, the smile still showing.

Veronica, in return, grinned back, gazing into Heather's eyes. "Morning," she whispered, before brushing her lips against Heather’s. 

The alarm suddenly started blaring, interrupting their moment and causing them both to break apart in shock. After a moment, Heather chuckled, turning the alarm off and running a hand through her hair as she made her way out of bed. Veronica, for some reason, decided to grab Heather by the arm and pull her back into bed. Heather rolled her eyes and gave Veronica a look.

"I gotta get up, Sawyer," she said, raising her eyebrows, "some of us are actually functioning members of society and have shit to do."

"Jeez, I was gonna surprise you with something, but if you're just gonna be a prick..."

"Surprise me with something?" Heather repeated, giving Veronica a sceptical look, "I'm intrigued. What is this surprise?"

Veronica smirked, pulling back the covers and stumbling out of bed. "The whole point of a surprise is I'm not supposed to tell you, dumbass. Just... wait here, ok?"

Veronica wasn't quite sure what she was thinking or why she was doing this, but still she found herself grabbing a frying pan and some eggs in an attempt to make Heather breakfast in bed. It could be a ‘thank you’ for her letting her stay over for the night. Heather would appreciate it (hopefully) and it was also a way to show that Veronica wasn’t completely hopeless when it came to making food

And really, how hard could it be?

**_____________________________**  
  


Hard.

Very very hard.

Choking slightly, Veronica desperately began to waft away the smoke coming from the frying pan, whilst simultaneously squinting to stop it from going into her eyes. She was praying that the alarm wouldn’t go off and disturb Heather, but it seems that wasn't necessary, as she had heard all the commotion in the kitchen anyway.

"Sawyer!" Heather barked, striding into the room. She placed her hands on her hips and gave a look of disgust at the panicked brunette in front of her, surrounded by smoke and some very burnt eggs.

"Help, I don't know how to make eggs."

“Oh my God, you pillowcase. Are you trying to set a fire or something?". There was a hint of amusement in her voice, but her face still looked slightly worried at the sight before her. “Let me help you.”

After spending a few minutes opening windows, clearing the smoke, and putting the... "eggs"... in the bin, the pair stood awkwardly in the kitchen, the whole ordeal waking them up completely. Veronica rubbed the back of her neck and shot Heather an apologetic look.

“Uh...listen,” she began sheepishly, “I just wanted to do something nice for you. Maybe eggs was slightly too ambitious...”

Heather smirked, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes affectionately. “The sentiment was there. I can’t believe you failed at frying eggs, but it’s alright, we’ll start again and I’ll help you this time.”

And with that, they got to work. Well, Heather did. Veronica, not wanting to ruin the morning any more than she already had, got out of Heather’s way and opted to pour some coffee for them both instead. Heather frequently stole glances at the brunette, and quickly looked away if ever she was caught. After a few times of this happening, Veronica just chuckled, making her way over to give Heather a small peck on the cheek. It wasn’t much, but it flustered Heather nonetheless, her face turning the same shade as her silky robe. 

Despite the distractions, Heather still managed to actually succeed in making breakfast eventually.

They chatted idly at the table, enjoying their breakfast and the bright sunny morning. Veronica couldn’t actually remember when she had been this content. Really, just glancing at the sun reflecting off of Heather’s sparkling blue eyes was enough to put a smile on her face. 

“Veronica?” Heather spoke up suddenly, snapping Veronica out of her trance.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you. For everything. I know when we first met it wasn’t great, but you never gave up on me.”

Veronica gazed at Heather, pondering her next words. Eventually she settled on just giving a small nod, as if she had tried to say anything, she’d probably start crying which would be a real mood dampener. Sensing that the conversation was over, Heather cleared her throat and began to get out of her chair. Noticing this, Veronica quickly gestures for her to sit down again.

“No, no, no, you stay right here,” she ordered, picking up her plate, “you made breakfast, I’ll clean up.”

Heather raised an eyebrow and smirked. “You won’t burn anything?” She teased, causing Veronica to glare at her as she finished grabbing the stuff off the table.

Heather was never going to let that go, was she?

**_____________________________**  
  


Rubbing her hands together was not at all keeping her warm, so instead Veronica decided to shove them in her coat pockets and think about something else to take her mind off the numbing cold. Why Heather had told her to wait near the school gates this morning rather than just meet her inside was beyond Veronica’s knowledge, but there had better be a good reason. She was about to just give up and go in when she heard a distinct and familiar sound of heels on the concrete pavement. Sure enough, when she whipped around, Heather was strutting up to her, a bright smile on her face and a swing to her gait.

“Why the fuck are we meeting here?” Veronica groaned, looking at the white cloud that was coming from her mouth, showing that it was, indeed, pretty fucking cold. “I’m literally freezing my tits off. Why can’t we just go and meet inside?”

Heather chuckled, walking on towards the school gates as Veronica followed. “You’ll see.”

And then, without any warning, she grabbed Veronicas hand, which she had taken out of her pocket, and intertwined their fingers. Veronica felt her cheeks heat up and suddenly she felt a lot warmer.

_Rubbing your hands together to keep warm?_ _Nope_.

_Putting your hands in your pockets? Better but not great._

_Heather Chandler holding your hand without any warning, making your brain short circuit? Literally so warm I feel like I’m in hell_.

“What are you doing?” Veronica asked, nodding towards their linked hands. 

Heather smiled in return, and turned to look at Veronica. “I’ve... never really held hands with anyone before. Not properly.”

“Oh!” Veronica said, surprised, “well we’ll have to do it more often then.”

Before Heather could reply, they were at the gates and all the students and teachers turned their heads to look at the pair who were walking in. Shit.

Veronica glanced at Heather to see her reaction, but the woman in red didn’t exactly seemed surprised. in fact, she actually looked quite happy-

Oh son of a bitch.

This is why she wanted them to walk in together. This is why they held hands. Trust Heather to want to get as much attention as possible.

Sensing that Veronica had realised her plan, Heather smirked and dragged Veronica inside, not looking at a single one of the people watching. Veronica did the same, avoiding the confused looks and questioning expressions. She would really have to talk to Heather about being more discreet with their... relationship? What were they? A couple?

Ok no, too heavy for a Monday morning. That could be thought about later.

The moment they stepped into the building and were away from prying eyes, Veronica spun around to face Heather and scowled.

“Why?” She said bluntly, “they’re not gonna shut up for, like, the rest of the week!” 

“So? Let them talk.”

“I don’t think you quite understand the gravity of the situation here-“

She was cut off by a shrill voice coming from the loudspeakers. “Could Miss Sawyer and Miss Chandler please come to my office immediately, thank you.”

Veronica and Heather shared a look as they headed to Flemming’s office.

This should be fun.

**_____________________________**

Flemming was leaning forward, staring Veronica and Heather down like some kind of hippie hawk. Veronica felt uncomfortable anyway on that cheap, itchy chair. She didn’t need a middle aged woman, who had gone through more mental breakdowns than husbands, scrutinising her too. Flemming furrowed her brow and sighed, giving an exasperated look.

“Of course I am happy for you both,” she stated, gesturing to the two, “but there will be no PDA in this school. I saw you enter the school grounds from my office window, and every single person stopped what they were doing to look at you. I can’t have them be distracted like that when they’re working.”

Heather scoffed and raised an eyebrow. “They chose to look, I fail to see how that’s our fault?”

“Frankly, Miss Chandler, I don’t care who’s fault it is, it will not be happening and that’s final. No holding hands, no hugging, no kissing, _nothing_. Ok?”

Veronica looked over at Heather, who was clearly not going to answer. She sighed and turned back to Flemming, giving a small nod of confirmation. After a moment of tense silence, Flemming smiled slightly, which Veronica was sure had never really happened before. This smile wasn’t that fake one she gave when Heather was kicking off, or when Kurt and Ram asked for a pay rise for the third time that day. It was a real, genuine smile.

“I mean it,” she said quietly, “I really am happy for you both. From the moment you guys met in the hallway, I could see that there was something going on.”

“Really?” Heather questioned, glancing at Veronica. “But didn’t we like... get off on a bad foot in the hallway?”

Flemming just shrugged and gave a knowing look. “I knew you’d work it out. Now go on to your classrooms, first period is starting soon.”

Outside of Miss Flemming’s office, Veronica and Heather stood together, not really knowing what to say. Veronica decided to speak up first, and ask a question that had been plaguing her mind. 

“What... what are we?”

Heather’s yes widened slightly and a look of shock passed over her face. “Woah ok, pretty fucking sudden.”

“Sorry,” Veronica apologised sheepishly, “I just... well you know I’ve never actually been in a relationship before, so I don’t really know how this works.”

Heather smiled sympathetically as she looked down at Veronica. “Why do we have to put a label on it? We’re happy and that’s what matters. One day we may want to decide where we’re at, but for now, let’s just take things as they go. We can go on dates, hold hands, do sappy shit. This thing that’s going on right now is good for me, so why change it?”

“Perfect,” Veronica smiled, leaning closer to Heather, “you know how much I love ‘sappy shit’.”

Giving a cheeky grin, Heather leaned in, but was pushed away before their lips could meet. She opened her eyes and blinked confusedly, but Veronica just smirked. 

“Hey, no PDA, remember? It’ll have to be somewhere more private if you wanna do that.”

Now it was Heather’s turn to smirk mischievously, as she placed her hand on Veronica’s forearm. 

“Is the closet alright?”  
  


**_____________________________**

Later on in the day, Veronica was making her way over to the printer, not really expecting to see anyone. However, she was pleasantly surprised to see none other than Martha Dunnstock, balancing a stock of papers on on hand whilst pushing up her glasses with the other. Veronica chuckled softly as she placed down her coffee and grabbed the papers from Martha.

“Oh!” Martha exclaimed before smiling slightly gingerly, “Thanks, Veronica.”

“Hey, no problem! You still printing?”

“Oh yeah, sorry, I’ve got a few more sheets to come through.”

Giving a small nod, Veronica plopped the papers down on a nearby table and picked up her coffee again. She looked at Martha, not quite knowing what to say. She felt like she hadn’t seen the RE teacher in a long time, and her heart panged with guilt.

“So... Martha,” Veronica began awkwardly, “we haven’t really spoken in a while. How’re you doing?”

Martha turned her gaze to Veronica and smiled sweetly, “I’m doing great actually. I’ve met someone...”

“Oh wow!” Veronica cried, placing a hand on Martha’s arm, “I’m so happy for you! And I’m also kind of glad you got over Ram, you were always too good for him.”

As if on cue, a loud shout came from behind them, causing them to both look in that direction. Sure enough, Ram Sweeney has his arms around Kurt Kelly’s neck and was desperately trying to drag him down, whilst Kurt was trying to remove the grip, A panicked Principal Flemming came barrelling down the hallway, clearly attempting to stop the commotion. Students began to gather round whilst Flemming shouted at the two men, who were now both on the floor kicking and punching each other.

Martha and Veronica slowly looked at eachother and burst into a fit of giggles. Memories of when Martha used to drool over Ram were now replaced with Ram and Kurt randomly having a wrestling match in the school corridor. 

Once Veronica had regained her composure and could breathe properly, she turned to Martha with a genuine smile. “Seriously, though, I am super happy for you.”

Martha gave a smile back, picking up the last of her paper from the printer. “Thank you, Veronica, I really do appreciate that. I’m happier than I’ve ever been, if I’m being honest.”

“I’m so glad.”

“Now,” Martha said, giving a mischievous grin, “you seem happy as well.”

She was clearly referring to the whole hand holding thing earlier that day. Veronica looked away, feeling her cheeks begin to heat up. She gave small cough, trying to cover up her embarrassment, as Martha let out a small giggle.

“...Yes, we’re very happy.” Is all Veronica could say.

They fell into silence. Veronica sighed, knowing there was something she needed to say.

“Listen, Martha,” she said quietly, “I’m sorry about the way Heather has treated you in the past. It’s not fair, and I want you to know that just because I’m... involved with her, doesn’t mean I’m excusing what she’s done.”

Martha gave a grateful smile as she peered through her chunky glasses. “It’s alright, Veronica. People can change, I know that. She hasn’t really said anything bad in about 2 weeks, so that’s something.”

“Still, I’ll talk to her, see if she’ll apologise to you.”

“Heather Chandler apologising?” Martha joked, “when pigs fly!”

Veronica laughed quietly, throwing her empty coffee cup in the bin. Martha cleared her throat, wanting to add something to the subject, but not really knowing how. Eventually she just shook her head and gathered her things.

“I hope you’re happy together,” she commented sincerely, “you both deserve it.”

Before Veronica could even reply, Martha was gone. She stood in complete silence, overcome with emotion.

She really needed to talk to Martha more often.  
  


**_____________________________  
**  
  


“Chandler, you really do have to apologise to her.” Veronica insisted, frowning at Heather.

“I said I will! Jesus Christ, Sawyer, you’re making me so stressed you’re gonna give me wrinkles.” Suddenly she looked panicked, “Oh my God, if you actually give me wrinkles I’m fucking suing.”

Veronica laughed loudly, playfully slapping Heather on the arm. The blonde’s expression softened and she began to laugh as well. Veronica stopped laughing when, over Heather’s shoulder, she spotted a man in a trench coat, looking back at her with a sad smile. He gave a curt nod, looked at Heather, and then turned and slumped away. Veronica hadn’t even noticed that Hetaher was watching her when she felt a soft hand touch her cheek.

“Hey, you alright?” She asked, a tone of concern in her voice.

Veronica nodded, giving a genuine smile. “I’m wonderful.”

Noticing Veronica was alright now, Heather regained her lighthearted mood. “Of course you’re wonderful, you’re dating _me_. I have very high standards, you know.”

Veronica was about to retort, when she noticed just how beautiful Heather was. She was grinning, Showing off her perfect pearly white teeth, and she had those dimples that Veronica loved so much. Suddenly, she looked confused as she studied Veronica, eyebrows knitting together.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, taking a step back, “you know I was only kidding, right?”

“Oh, no it’s not that!” Veronica quickly explained, “I was just... I don’t know... looking at how pretty you were I guess.”

“Ew, don’t be weird dork.” Heather insulted, but the corners of her mouth were turned up slightly, “you’re so corny, it’s disgusting.”

“And you’re _such_ a romantic!” Veronica said jokingly, rolling her eyes, “I know you secretly love my corny side.”

“Pshh, yeah, sure. Anyways, We’ve got a class soon so, like, let’s motor.”

As they began collecting gun their things, Veronica looked over at Heather, who had a thoughtful look on her face, her head cocked slightly. 

“I love it when you do that.” She commented teasingly, referring to when Heather has said the same thing at the movie theatre.

Heather looked away in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, also remembering when she had said that. 

“Woah, Heather Chandler flustered?” Veronica teased, gaining a scowl from Heather.

“Honestly, Sawyer,” Heather sighed, shaking her head, “If you’re not careful, I might just kiss you right here to get you fired.”

“Wouldn’t that get you fired as well?”

“At least I’d be with you, I suppose.”

Heather scrunched her face up in disgust when she realised what she had just said, “ew that was so cheesy and gross. You’re having an affect on me, aren’t you?”

“Yep, seems that way,” Veronica agreed, laughing, “right well we really do have to get to class now, but I’ll see you later at my place, yeah?”

Heather grinned.

“I’ll be there.”

**_____________________________**  
  


Having to deal with a room of teenagers plaguing you with questions of your love life was certainly not easy. That was the reason why Veronica breathed a sigh of relief when the bell rang, signalling her freedom. She thought that maybe, just maybe, there would be no more questions and she could just meet up with Heather where nobody was watching.

Unfortunately, Heather took this moment to stroll through the door, much to the delight of the remaining students.

“She came to visit Miss Sawyer after class!”

“So, does this confirm they’re together then?”

“I knew it!”

Veronica covered her face and groaned. “Chandler, are you trying to kill me?”

“Woah, ok,” Heather began defensively, “I’ve had to deal with this shit as well, I just literally don’t care anymore.”

Luckily, the students had enough decency to leave them alone, so Veronica and Heather could at least have a conversation in private.

“Right well anyway, we’re still going to my place, yeah?”

Heather nodded as they both walked out the door and into the hallway. On a whim, Veronica decided to grab Heathers hand, remembering when she said she enjoyed it. Heather’s widened, before she smiled softly and interlocked their fingers. Fuck Flemming and her ‘No PDA’ bullshit.

As Heather and Veronica walked hand in hand out through the doors of Westerberg high school, with the silent streets of Sherwood, Veronica smiled.

Life really could be beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Ok so I know I didn’t update in a while and I am super sorry about that. I talked about this on my tumblr, but in case you didn’t see that, I’ll explain here as well. Basically, I lost my inspiration and had a massive writer’s block. I took a break, and now I’m back! Hopefully the next chapter will be out quicker!
> 
> A quick reminder that the next chapter is an epilogue and will be the end of ABCs and 123s. I’ll say a bit more in the notes of that one, I just wanted to make sure you all knew.
> 
> Anyway, yeah, sorry again for the wait and I’ll see you all next chapter, whenever that may be. Have a great day! :)
> 
> Tumblr: PoshBiscuit


	13. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

  
20 years later.

  
  
“Hey, Ronnie!” A bright voice called from the doorway, pulling Veronica form her work.  
  
Veronica spun around to see Heather McNamara, with a wide smile on her face. She was wearing a hell of a lot of yellow, or course, that Veronica still wasn’t used to. She didn’t think she ever would be.  
  
“Hey, Heather!” Veronica greeted warmly, “How’s it going?”  
  
Mac bounded into the classroom, pulled up a chair, and plopped down into it. She seemed to be in a great mood, well more great than usual.   
  
“It’s going so great! Flemming gave me a pay rise!”  
  
“Woah, congrats! You totally deserve it, you’ve been working your ass off lately.”  
  
Mac giggled, taking a sip of her tea. She waved a dismissive hand, gesturing to Veronica. “So anyways, enough about me, how’ve you been getting on?”  
  
Veronica shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing much really. Just dreaming of the day I get to blow this town. Y’know, if I’m not dead by June.”  
  
Mac gasped and playfully smacked Veronica on the arm. “Don’t speak like that! And anyway, you can’t just leave me, I’ll have nobody left!”   
  
“Why are you even still here, Mac?” Veronica asked, genuinely curious, “Don’t you wanna leave too?”  
  
“Ronnie, I’ve been here for, like, 27 years now, I can’t just ditch it!”  
  
“But like you said, without me you pretty much have nobody. Do you *really* enjoy it here?”  
  
Mac sighed and got a slightly nostalgic look on her face, “I came here as a teen. Now I’m here as a teacher. I literally grew up here. Westerberg high may not be the greatest school, but it’s my home.”  
  
Veronica was slightly taken aback by the blonde’s deep statement. “Gee, Heather, I didn’t think it meant so much to you.”  
  
Smiling again, Mac rested her chin in her hand as she surveyed Veronica. “Surely it means something to you as well? I mean, I’m not really friends with anyone here except for you, but you have JD and of course-“  
  
She was cut off by a knock at the door. It opened to reveal Heather Duke, giving a shy smile and holding a small container. Mac beamed at her, making Duke blush slightly.”  
  
“Hey... just came from work to drop off your lunch, Heather,” she explained, “you weren’t in your classroom so I assumed you’d be here. Hey Veronica.”  
  
Veronica smiled back at her, raising a hand. Mac jumped up and made her way over to Duke, throwing her arms around her. Duke stumbled slightly before reciprocating the hug.  
  
“Aww, Heather, you made me a salad!” Mac beamed, “I love you so *fricking* much.”  
  
Duke chuckled, walking up to Mac and handing over the box. She cleared her throat and looked over towards Veronica, a strange expression on her face.   
  
“Hey, Heather?” She said, turning back to Mac, “Uh, do you wanna head back to your classroom? I need to speak to Veronica quick.”  
  
“Oh sure! Make sure you are quick though because you do need to get back to work.”  
  
As Mac left the room, Veronica sent Duke a questioning look. Duke bit her lip and shuffled on her feet, showing she was clearly quite nervous. Eventually, she sighed, making eye contact with Veronica.  
  
“Alright, Sawyer,” she began slowly, “This is... kinda hard for me, so just shut up for a second, ok?”  
  
“Uh... ok?” Veronica complied, slightly bewildered at Duke’s direct tone.  
  
“Right well, I know I wasn’t the nicest to you when we worked together and... I guess I just want to talk to you about it. Basically I was kind of jealous that you did English and I had to do science. Obviously, you were better for the job but I just couldn’t accept that. Being with Mac, it’s made me rethink how I treat people, I guess. Anyway, I’m being awkward, so I just want to say I’m... I’m sorry. I was unfair, and you never did anything to deserve how I treated you.”  
  
Veronica studied Duke for a second, before standing up to face her. She smiled and gave a small nod, extending out her hand. Duke stared at it blankly for a moment, before letting out a small laugh and grasping it with her own. Veronica looked at Duke and raised a brow.  
  
“Friends?”  
  
Duke nodded.  
  
“Friends.”  
  
They let their arms fall back to their sides and stood in silence for a moment. Eventually, Veronica decided to speak up, not wanting to make it awkward.  
  
“Well, you’re an English teacher now, and you’re not working at Westerberg anymore, so that’s two wins.”  
  
Duke grinned, grateful that Veronica was taking a lighthearted approach to this. “Yeah, at least there’s that. Anyway, I suppose I need to go now, or else Mac will have a go at me.”  
  
“Alright Heather, I’ll see you at some point, probably at one of Heather’s meet-ups.”

“Yeah, see you soon, Veronica.”  
  
Just as Duke left the room, and Veronica sat down again, JD came marching in, smirking slightly.  
  
“Hey V, sorry to bother you, I have some files that Flemming gave me for you.”  
  
“Oh, thanks JD, could you please just put them over there?”  
  
“Sure thing.”  
  
As JD put the files down on Veronica’s desk, he licked his lips and frowned. Veronica noticed this and gave him a concerned look.  
  
“Is everything alright?”  
  
JD sighed and nodded, “yeah.. it’s just... right I’m just gonna come out and say it. I’m leaving.”  
  
Veronica paused, making sure she’d heard that correctly. JD saw Veronica’s upset face and immediately his shoulders slumped.  
  
“I’m really sorry, V, but I just can’t stay at Westerberg anymore. I need to get away from here, surely you understand?”  
  
Giving a reassuring smile, Veronica let out a sigh. “Of course I understand, don’t worry about me. I’m just gonna miss you, I guess. So... are you going to teach at a different school then?”  
  
JD’s downcast expression changed to a grin of excitement. “Nope! I’m going to work at a World War 2 Weapons Museum, so I can still do history and stuff, but I won’t have to deal with a bunch of rowdy teenagers in Ohio. Plus, World War 2 weapons are kind of my speciality.”  
  
Veronica threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, “That sounds amazing, JD! I’m sure you’re gonna love it there.”  
  
“Oh I will. And hey, sorry again for ditching you,” he apologised, before smirking, “think you’ll miss me too much?”

Veronica laughed, pulling away, “You wish. I’ll be fine, but you’d better stay in touch. Well, you’ll kinda have to, you’ll be bored all on your own.”  
  
Suddenly, JD became nervous, avoiding eye contact. “About that... I won’t actually be alone. I’ve actually met a girl, she lives super close to the museum so I’ll be moving in with her...”

  
“That’s great, JD.” Veronica spoke calmly, “I hope you’re happy together.”

“I... I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but I had, like, a big crush on you like 20 years ago.”

Veronica bit her lip, looking out of the window. “Yeah, you know I thought you were pretty cool too,” she said jokingly, before turning back to JD, “but we’re both happy now aren’t we? No point dwelling on the past.”

A silence fell upon them, not awkward, per se, but not comfortable either. It was a silence where the pair thought back to the past and what might have been. Had Veronica gone to get drinks with JD when he had invited her all those years ago, would they have gotten together? Would they still be together now?

“Anyways,” Veronica said suddenly, wanting to change the subject, “I’m actually surprised you managed to stay here for 20 years, it’s more than... some people.”

JD, glad to change the subject, raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Still missing Martha, huh?”

Veronica nodded sadly, “it’s been 14 years and I am still not over it. I don’t miss Kurt and Ram, though. They deserve to be gas station attendants. I’m kind of hoping that at some point Principal Flemming either retires or dies, then I’ll finally be free.”

JD chuckled, shaking his head. “You and me both V. Now, I’d better get going. Lily’s waiting for me outside in a few minutes.”

Just as JD was about to leave, Veronica called out.

“Hey, JD?”

He turned around.

“Yeah?”

“I hope we meet again one day.”

JD paused for a moment, unmoving. Then his mouth twisted into a sad smile, his dark eyes burning into Veronica’s own.

“Me too, V.”

JD’s departure left a heavy atmosphere in the classroom, Veronica allowed herself a moment of stillness to truly process what had happened, and then decided that seeing as she had a class soon, she needed to get back to work. She was secretly quite glad to be alone again after all the visits. Then, for some cruel reason, someone else decided to waltz in, and Veronica almost groaned. She turned to see who had interrupted her _again_ , and was surprised to see a young-ish man with curly blonde hair that she didn’t immediately recognise.  
He looked so familiar, yet also so unfamiliar. Veronica frowned as the man spotted her and grinned.

“Yo!” He greeted, his voice as bright as his hair, “just saw Mr Dean, still wearing that trench coat I see. Wait, am I even allowed here? I just sorta walked in...”

Veronica gave the man a bewildered look, shocked that a stranger talked to her so comfortably. And how did he know JD?

And then it hit her.

“Archie?!” She cried, leaping up from her desk and making her way over to him.

The smile that the man gave her confirmed that she’d got it right.

“Oh my God!” She exclaimed, studying her ex-student, “I haven’t seen you in 20 years, what are you doing here?”

“I said I’d be back,” Archie stated, shrugging, “obviously, I would have loved to have visited sooner, but even after 20 years it was hard enough.”

Veronica gave him a warm hug, and then pulled away, grinning, “So how are you doing?”

“I’m doing great actually. I moved in with my boyfriend recently and we’re thinking of adopting. Also, I haven’t heard from my Dad in years, and I still see my sister very regularly.”

“That’s so great! Oh I’m so proud of you, Archie, seriously.”

“Thanks, Miss,” Archie said, smiling, “and thank you for helping with... everything. I don’t think I could have gotten through it without you.”

Veronica felt tears begin to form in her eyes and she looked at the man before her. The man who was once a boy, a boy who dealt with so much and came out stronger than he ever could have imagined.

“I’m always here for you Archie. I always have been and I always will be. But _you_ did that, you got through that yourself, and that’s amazing.”

“Gee, Miss, you’re gonna make me cry,” Archie joked, his voice cracking slightly, “right, well, before I start bawling like a baby, I should probably go. I think you have class soon anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah I do.” Veronica confirmed, going to sit back down at her desk, “Make sure to stop by at some point. See you, Archie.”

“Yeah, see you, Miss.”

Goddamn, did everyone want to reflect on their life today or something? Mac, Duke, JD, and now Archie. It... kind of felt like closure. Like a story that was coming to an end, and everything was being wrapped up. But of course, it didn’t really feel like an end to Veronica. She was still at Westerberg, and, unfortunately, had no intentions of leaving just yet.

As usual, a loud chatter came from outside the classroom and Veronica smiled to herself. No matter how much she complained about this place, Mac was right. It was familiar. It was home.

The students filed into the room, doing their usual routine of thinking that it was still break and talking loud, as if they were outside. The final person to enter was a boy with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. 

_Those eyes look very familiar, don’t they?_ Veronica thought to herself, smiling.

The boy ran over to Veronica, a cheerful smile on his face. “Hey Mom!” He said loudly, before realising what he said and blushing. The class burst into laughter as Veronica sighed.

“Jack, you know you can’t call me that at school. At least you didn’t call me Mommy, like you used to.”

The class laughed again and Jack blushed even more. “Hey! That was when I was, like, 3! I’m 15 now, Mom!”

Veronica gave him a look to remind him of what she had just said.

“...I mean ‘Miss’.” He corrected sheepishly before settling down into his seat.

Veronica rolled her eyes affectionately, before starting the lesson.

**_____________________________**

  
“She is _insufferable,_ Mom!”

“Jack, I told you, you can’t call me that.”

Veronica pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes as Jack went into another long rant about how he simply could not deal with Alice.

“She’s full of herself, she’s annoying, she won’t listen to my ideas-“

Veronica seemed to think this sounded very familiar.

“Jack Chandler,” she began, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I met somebody once, and I felt the same way about them that you do about Alice. Do you know what I did? I got to know them. I spent time with them. They turned out to be totally different to what I was expecting and I am eternally grateful I gave them the chance.”

By the look in Jack’s eyes, it seemed he knew exactly who his mother was referring to.

“Just... be nice to her,” Veronica continued, giving her son a sympathetic look, “I know it may be hard, but it’s the right thing to do. Next lesson, we need to pair up, so maybe you could ask Alice. Or maybe you could even ask her to hang out today, you know me and your mother are out so you’ll have the house to yourselves. Sound good?”

Jack bit his lip, weighing out his options. Eventually, he nodded slowly, meeting Veronica’s gaze.

“I... guess I’ll go catch up with her now, then.”

Veronica gave him a nod of confirmation, and he went running out the door. Not a second later, but somebody else walked in, giving Veronica a bemused look.

“Sawyer.” She greeted, nodding towards Veronica.

Veronica smiled wider than she had the whole day.

“Chandler.”

Heather laughed, making her way over to peck Veronica on the cheek. When she pulled away, she raised an eyebrow and gestured behind her.

“Why on earth was Jack running down the hallway saying ‘Alice’, or something? Oh god have you driven him mad with your literature bullshit.”

Veronica gasped and shot Heather a look. “Shut up, you know my ‘literature bullshit’ is pretty fucking useful. Anyway, he didn’t get on with this girl he was sat with, so I suggested that he get to know her.”

Heather smirked, gazing at Veronica. “Sounds familiar.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

After a moment, Veronica stood up and gathered her things, “Anyway, we’d better head out, hadn’t we? I think Jack is inviting that Alice girl over so we’d better get out of their way.”

“Sure, let me grab my bag.”

As they headed out the room and down the hallway, Veronica looked at the familiar, kind of messed up Rottweiler on the wall that she had seen everyday for over 20 years. The colours had faded a lot, and multiple bits of the paint had come off, but it was there, standing proud. In fact, a majority of the school was the same, the only thing changing each year was the students.

“Oh, by the way,” Veronica started causally, “JD’s leaving. Going to work at a museum.”

Heather scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Good. That creep always had the hots for you, Sawyer.”

“Oh shush, you don’t need to be jealous, he’s got a girlfriend now. And anyway, you really have to stop calling me Sawyer, that’s not even my name anymore.”

“Yeah, but I can’t call you Chandler,” Heather protested, looking at Veronica, “that’s my name, so it’s confusing. Sawyer fits you better than Chandler, anyway.”

Veronica’s voice turned teasing. “Well, if you didn’t want me to be called Chandler, you shouldn’t have married me.”

“Sorry, but marrying you was the best thing I ever did.”

Heather’s face didn’t cringe too much after saying that.

“Ha! You sappy shit, you’re worse than me, now!” Veronica mocked, lightly shoving Heather.

“Yeah well I’ve dealt with you for 20 years now, obviously I’m gonna start acting like you.”

“Well, no, because I didn’t turn into an ice cold bitch.”

Heather threw her head back and laughed loudly, giving Veronica slight butterflies.

“Honey, you could never be an ice cold bitch like me. I mean, I’m forty-fucking-three and I’m still the bitchiest person I’ve ever known.”

They bantered for a few more minutes as they exited the school, and walked into the streets of Sherwood. Not too long passed before they spotted a familiar boy with dark hair, stood near a girl who Veronica definitely recognised. Jack clearly took Veronica’s advice.

As Jack rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, his cheeks dusted slightly pink, Heather turned to Veronica and smiled.

“Young love, huh?”

Veronica grinned, leaning her head on Heather’s shoulder. “Yeah, young love.”

After a few seconds, Heather laughed softly, turning and walking the other way.

“Come on, Sawyer!” She called, “They probably want some privacy, and we have a restaurant to get to!”

Veronica shook her head and jogged to catch up with Heather. She took Heather’s hand and leaned on her slightly as they walked through the brisk evening air. 

“Are you happy, Heather?” She thought aloud, causing Heather to frown.

“Obviously. Why?” Heather asked, concern in her voice.

Veronica shrugged. “It’s just... well everything’s changing. I mean, Archie literally came to see me earlier. It’s been 20 years. In 20 years, he’s grown up, got a boyfriend, moved in with the boyfriend, and now they’re thinking of adopting. In 20 years... I’m still working the same job at the same school in the same little town.”

“Veronica, in 20 years, you married me, moved in with me, we adopted, and now we have a 15 year old boy who’s kind, generous and loving. Just like you. I’m pretty happy.”

Veronica felt a tear fall as she leaned up to kiss Heather. They separated after a few seconds, looking into each others eyes. Heather was the first to speak.

“Are _you_ happy, Veronica?”

Veronica smiled, and looked towards the sun that was just setting over the town.

“I married Heather fucking Chandler, how could I not be happy?”

Veronica heard Heather laugh, but she didn’t say anything. She dug her hands into her pockets and looked at the sunset.

“Hey, Sawyer,” Heather said, staring at the floor in contemplation, “Do you realise, seeing as we met as kids that one time, that we have known each other for about 40 years?”

Veronica raised her eyebrows, turning to look at Heather, “Oh God, how have I survived 40 whole years with you?”

“Oh, shut up, Sawyer.” Heather scoffed, smiling slightly, “It’s crazy though, isn’t it? 40 whole years.”

“It really is crazy.”

Everyone else was moving houses, moving jobs, going forward, but Veronica didn’t need that. She didn’t need to constantly keep moving forward. She looked to Heather, the same girl who she had severely disliked when she met her all those years ago. The same girl she almost gave up on. The same girl she got to know. The same girl she fell in love with.

Heather turned to catch Veronica’s eye, breathing slow. She bit her lip and gestured forward.

“We really do need to go, if you’re quite done staring.” She joked, causing Veronica to blush.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, let’s go.”

And although it was cold outside, Veronica felt warmer than ever as she walked beside Heather. She pushed up her glasses and ran a hand through her dark locks. Sherwood was beautiful this time of day, no matter what anybody said. It was home. She was home.

“Veronica?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Veronica found that being a teacher really was a lot better with Heather around. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, the finalé of ABCs and 123s! And it’s almost exactly 5 months since it began, which is interesting!
> 
> Seriously though, thank you so so so much for everything, this has been one of the best times of my life. Every time I got a comment, it would make my day, so seriously, thank you guys! I’m sad to see this come to an end, but overall, I wrote something that I’m proud of and I had a great time doing it, so that’s what matters. 
> 
> So thank you for the kudos, comments, bookmarks, hits and general support, you are all amazing.
> 
> I’m not sure what the future of my account is, but I know for sure I’m going to be staying active on my Tumblr (PoshBiscuit), so if you want see some more dumb stuff from me, head over there.
> 
> I genuinely don’t think I can put into words how much you all mean to me, so I’ll probably just end it here before I ramble on too much lmao.
> 
> Thank you again for everything and have a wonderful day :)


End file.
